Vince Carter remains a polarizing figure in the NBA. Many fans look back at his stint in the NBA with great fondness, mostly because of his incredible dunking ability. But there are those who feel frustration toward him for his unfulfilled potential.
Carter entered the league in 1998, joining the Toronto Raptors. At the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest, Carter put on what is still considered the greatest NBA Dunk Contest performance of all time, with his iconic dunk where he stuck his hand in the rim and hung off of it.
But his poor performances when it mattered most, especially in the playoffs, combined with his injury concerns led to fans losing patience with him. After Carter's stints in Toronto and New Jersey, he went on to bounce around from team to team hoping to land on a championship contender till his eventual retirement.
As time has gone on, Carter has been remembered more fondly, with many considering him a legend of the game. In fact, one of his former teammates called him the most gifted teammate he ever played with it.
Former NBA Champion Matt Barnes spoke recently in an interview (second slide) about playing with Vince Carter in Orlando during the 2009-10 season.
He called Carter the most gifted player he ever played with, while also noting that he played with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and Allen Iverson, to explain that Carter was the most gifted.
"I got a chance to play with Kobe, got a chance to play with AI, Shaq. Vince is probably the most gifted basketball player I've ever played with."
Vince Carter ended up playing for almost 22 years and retired at the end of the 2019-20 NBA season.
Carter's once-promising career ended with him being a former All-Star who never came close to winning a championship or having any significant individual accomplishments.
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