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Defying Father Time: 40-year-old Vince Carter's 2016-17 blessings
Vince Carter continues to be productive at age 40 for the Memphis Grizzlies. Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports

Defying Father Time: 40-year-old Vince Carter's 2016-17 blessings

At one time, Vince Carter was on top of the basketball world. He came onto the national scene during his high-flying days at North Carolina and burst into the NBA as a scoring, dunking machine with the Toronto Raptors who was named the 1998-99 Rookie of the Year. He became an All-Star, elevated the Raptors to a contender and put on arguably the most awe-inspiring performance in NBA Slam Dunk Contest history.

Now 40 years old, Cater is no longer the player he was during his prime, an eight-time All-Star who did things with the type of flair few can even imagine. Sure, he had his ups and downs along the way, from his unceremonious exit out of Toronto to his injuries and evolving game that saw less slams and more jumpers with the Nets, Magic, Suns and Mavericks. But now with the Memphis Grizzlies, firmly in the twilight of his career, Carter has graduated from his Vinsanity days to become perhaps the most productive player in his 40s we've seen.

Yes, he is the NBA’s oldest active player, but you wouldn't know it by the way he still performs at a high level for the Grizzlies. In 2017. At 40 years old.

A large part of his success is the way he has defied Father Time physically. How so? Take this story from September 2015, when Carter showed off the same vertical jump at 38 years old that Andrew Wiggins had at 19 years old. Or earlier this season, when there was buzz that Carter might have been considering participating in the 2017 NBA Dunk Contest. While he did not ultimately compete — leaving us with those wonderful 2001 memories completely intact — Carter in his fourth decade of life is still capable of throwing down a between-the-legs dunk (as an aside: Here are 40 unseen Carter dunks released by the NBA on his 40th birthday, and here is a mixtape of vintage Vinsanity).

This season, Carter has played 72 games for the Memphis Grizzlies, starting in 14 and averaging 8.1 points per game. Those aren't Russell Westbrook numbers, of course, but feel free to criticize after you’ve achieved NBA athletic superhuman status since 1998 and continue to do so in 2017. 

Solid by any standard, though, on March 13, 2017, Carter did not miss a shot in his 30 minutes played against the Milwaukee Bucks, including six three-pointers. He was the Grizz's top scorer that night with a season-high 24 points in a 113-93 win. At 40 years old.

Carter has scored in all but four of his appearances this season, and for the most part, bringing Carter off of the bench has meant guaranteed contribution of some sort for Memphis.

Carter recently told GQ Magazine that his key has been adjusting his diet and recognizing the things he used to be able to do but can’t maintain anymore. Specifically, he's focused on his nutrition, eating lots of vegetables, not as much pork or fried food, staying up for at least 30 minutes after eating dinner, putting in the extra work when he does indulge and avoiding soda at all costs.

He's also adjusted his social life, just as most people do the older they get: “You just have to learn your body, learn what works and be honest with yourself. Yes, I would love to go out, but I love this job, love competing, and that’s way more important than hanging out. If I want to listen to music, there’s Apple Music.”

He's also taken well to his transition from a true NBA superstar to a veteran mentor. Memphis Grizzlies social media producer Amara Baptist told espnW that she was worried Carter would be mad at her when in January she tweeted out, “That Vince Carter guy has a future in the league.” She knew he wasn’t mad when he acknowledged the tweet with a laughing crying emoji.

"Vince is honestly amazing," Baptist also told Yardbarker. "He's always mentoring our young guys and always talking to Coach Fizz (David Fizdale). He dunks in practice, does all the drills full out, does three-point contests with Troy Daniels, Andrew Harrison and Mike Conley, and he really looks like he's 20 years old. Three words that I would use to describe him are mentor, motivated and team-first."

The Grizzlies are the seven seed in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs with a 43-38 record, which sets them up with a first-round series against San Antonio — a team that is also known for its veterans but trending younger.

The 2016-17 season was the final season on Carter’s three-year, $12 million contract that he signed in 2014 after becoming a free agent (previously, he had spent three seasons with Dallas), which means all there is left for us to do is beg.

Please, Memphis Grizzlies or any other NBA team, give us more time with Vince Carter. Because if he can do what's he done at 40, why not 41 and beyond?

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