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JASON KIDD PRAISES VINCE CARTER’S INDUCTION INTO HALL OF FAME
In addition to his ability to make clutch baskets, Vince Carter also was known as a high-flying dunkster who had the
capabilities of jumping out of the gym.
“I’ll never forget when we got him in (New) Jersey, I threw the ball over the backboard and asked why he didn’t catch it, because I knew that he could jump,” Jason Kidd told Mavs.com. “His athleticism is like no other.
“His talents, not just in basketball, but bowling. He can throw a football 70 yards. I might be short-changing him — I hope I’m not. But just his athleticism is like no other.”
Carter was announced Saturday as an inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be on Aug. 17 in Springfield, Mass.
The 47-year old Carter finished his career as an eight-time All-Star who scored 25,728 points, 21st on the all-time NBA list. He also played more seasons (22) than any player in NBA history.
After being the fifth overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft out of North Carolina, Carter played the bulk of his career for the Toronto Raptors from 1998-2004. But he also played for the New Jersey Nets, Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns.
Carter and Kidd were teammates in New Jersey from 2004-08, and again with the Mavs during the 2011-12 season. The fact that the Hall of Fame deservingly came calling, Kidd describes it an “awesome” accomplishment for Carter, who played for the Mavs from 2011-14.
“When you talk about Vince’s career in Toronto and New Jersey, he’s played everywhere,” Kidd said. “When you’ve had that type of career for that long and what he meant for me as a teammate in New Jersey — also as a Team USA member — it makes the game easy.
“He had the ability to take over games scoring, and the ability to catch any bad pass and make you look good. So, I’m very happy for him to make it to the Hall of Fame.”
Mavs fans may remember Carter as the player who buried a dramatic double-pump three-pointer at the buzzer to defeat the San Antonio Spurs, 109-108, in Game 3 of the first round of the 2014 Western Conference playoffs. Carter received the inbounds pass from Jose Calderon with just 1.7 seconds left and the Mavs trailing, 108-106, but that was enough time for him to nail the game-winner.
