All language subtitles for Vince.Carter.Legacy.2021.1080p.WEBRip.x264-RARBG

- I
- consider dunking an art form.

We're creating our masterpiece
as we soar through the air.

That's called art.

I wanted to show
that I was a showman,

and I was an entertainer.

Vince could just imagine himself

doing something
with a basketball,

and then he could go do it.

And
that's where I've been for 22

years in the same mentality.

To play as many years, you
have to grow as a player,

improve as a player.

That's not easy.

For him to maintain his
excellence for this long

is incredible.

He will stand alone in a
really unique place, because he

just kind of took his
own path and evolved

into this amazing story.

Here's how you
know what a big deal

it is that Vince
was able to do it

and you know how hard it is...

Because no one else could.

That's how you know, right?

If it was easy,
everybody would do it.

If it was easy, anybody
else would have done it.

Guess what?

No one ever has.

That tells you how important
Vince Carter was to the game,

and that this moment
must be respected.

- I
- always talk about the

ending and trying to see what
does the ending look like.

What does it look like?

What does it feel like?

How do I handle it?

I make this now, at
this age, my time.

And then once I
get to the arena,

just kind of goes
from that me time

to work time and just focusing
on preparation for the game.

Because, like I say, it
takes me longer to get ready

than any of the other guys.

What's up, man?

You good?

All right.

All right.

I value these rides to the arena

now this year more
than ever, because,

like I said, from here on out...

it won't be
a ride to the arena to get

ready for a basketball game.

Now it turns to work mode.

The most difficult thing was

believing that it's at the end.

And that it's time.

Good.

Because
you never think it's time,

but your body let's you
know when it's time.

But that's the most difficult
thing... actually saying

to yourself, OK, it's over.

That's the most difficult
thing for any athlete.

Is it kind of hard to accept

that there is no ceremony?

No fanfare?

I'm not one for the
whole thing, anyway.

So, if you ask a lot of people
around me, they'll tell you...

You know, I'm...
I'm one that, like,

I'm appreciative, but, you
know, I do my time and just walk

out the door is OK with me.

You know?

Believe it or not,
but it's cool.

Believe me, no it's cool.

I, uh...

I just... think it's been good.

Vince grew up in a pretty

upscale suburban neighborhood,
was a good student at school.

He got his work,
stayed out of trouble.

My entire family
are all educators of some sort.

School teachers,
principals, you name it.

So that's kind of how
our household was.

I taught him
in my English class, which

was wonderful, because I knew
he would do all the assignments

and do what he had to do because
that was required of Vince,

above everything else.

We were a small family

in the bigger scheme of things.

It's my brother and I, and then
sometimes just the three of us.

My aunt had one child,
and that was it.

My memory is always in the gym.

We always ended up in the gym.

It was very structured.

You had what was expected.

You know your dos and don'ts,
pleases and thank yous.

Like, I mean, you were
taught to be polite.

Both of our mothers
very strong women.

Very strong women.

Neither one of them
played any games with us.

And Miss Michelle didn't
play with anybody.

My only thing was being
an educator is to try

to develop the whole child.

You're not just going
to be an athlete.

Vince played on his first
organized team at 7.

Vince always played one
league up from his age.

You couldn't find any
kids anywhere that had

what we describe as
"God-given talent"

that he has in that sport.

He was, even at a young age,

always trying to be better
at what he was trying to do.

He was in the band.

He started playing the
saxophone in the fifth grade.

Fast forward to the
end of their season,

and he's first chair saxophone.

His stepfather
was the band director,

so you didn't play there either.

I mean, you didn't play around.

You went and did
what you had to do.

But he just always excelled

at basketball and, for
that matter, at volleyball,

when he tried that.

He went out for high jump
on the spur of the moment,

he didn't even have
on the proper shoes.

And he went out there and won.

The fact that he even
dunked for the first time

when he was in sixth
grade was crazy.

The things he was doing
as a young boy, many people

couldn't do.

And you know, at that time,
Vince also played football.

He was a quarterback.

And I can remember after
one game, my husband

Dennis going to
Michelle and saying,

get him off the football team.

He is a talented
basketball player.

He's going to get
hurt out there.

Get him off.

My husband was rather forceful,

and we were all good friends,
but he was sincere about that,

because he felt
that Vince was going

to go places in basketball.

Featuring the Daytona

Beach Mainland Buccaneers.

Goal by Vince Carter.

I think when it finally hit

me was when he was at Mainland.

At Mainland, in the old
gym, it was like prime time.

I was always asking,
why do we have

to get there during the freshman
game when there's two other...

We have to watch another game
just to watch Vince's game.

And that's how packed it was.

If you weren't there by the
end of the freshman game,

you were not getting a seat.

That's the court we used
to play on right there.

Sports was our way of peace
and our way to find a way

to get out of our environment.

By the time we got
to high school,

we was already grown
and ready to go.

15, Vince Carter.

When you have such
a marquee player, and a player

with national notoriety,
everyone wants a front seat

to experience that.

We used to play
our game at 7 o'clock at night.

We had a line of people trying
to buy tickets in our gym.

And it got to the point where
we had a gym full with people

in both stands.

It was amazing.

Like, every game, no matter
where we went, was jam-packed.

It was standing room only.

At that time, he was getting
taller and taller and taller.

My freshman year
in high school was like 5'7".

And I was a point guard.

And I ended up being
the starting point

guard my freshman year.

And then got to 6'1"
my sophomore year.

I just moved up in position...

as I got taller.

In my senior year, I
was like 6'5 ", 6'6".

There was a high school
All-American basketball

game in Detroit at the Palace.

And so Kevin Garnett
and Shareef Abdur-Rahim

and Paul Pierce and
Stephon Marbury.

They're all there, and
Vince Carter is there.

I'm one of the judges for
the slam dunk contest.

And so Vince, he comes
out and does one dunk.

And no one wants
to go after him.

I've never seen somebody
win a slam dunk contest

with just doing one dunk.

When he
actually made drum major,

oh my gosh, it was just
like one other thing

that a lot of people
will come to see,

because you will
never think, OK,

Mr. Basketball is
actually going to be

the highlight of halftime.

But he would be just
dancing and just thinking

that he's the best
dunker of all time, which

I think he still thinks that.

It was very easy to spot him.

Usually, he would tell me,
Tiff, I'm gonna be on the 40,

I'm going to be on the
30, I don't need that.

Because he was always towering
over the whole entire band.

Seconds later, he's on the
court having to play a game.

So he was like...

He was, like, versatile.

I was like, OK, dude,
like, you're doing...

You're going to be the drum
major and you're going to...

do basketball
all at the same time?

And of course he did it.

It's funny when I say
this, my dad played football,

but he was also in the
band as a young kid.

He definitely influenced me
and pushed me when I would

come down to visit in Orlando.

He'd have me out
there, whether it's

working on my game on my shot.

His dad got remarried
to my next door neighbor,

so he was always...

Just when he visited his
dad, he'd be next door,

and we'd play.

I, um...

He's my dad, so I respect him.

And it's no... this is
gonna go along the lines

of everything else about me...

I never felt the need
to bash him publicly.

It's tough sometimes, because
he was very influential

in the Orlando area.

And a lot of kids that
he touched because he

did the midnight basketball.

And he was, like, big.

So when you hear his
name, you hear my name,

people think it's
me, but it's him.

But he was so influential
and a lot of kids

grew up and, like... so when
I started living in Orlando,

these kids now are
growing up just like, man,

your dad, your dad, your dad.

Because, like, he's a big
time coach around there,

and he's very influential
in kids' lives

and in growth and success.

In influence in basketball,
he had some influence.

He and my uncle, Oliver Lee...

My uncle played in
the NBA for a couple

of years, played at Marquette.

He used to heckle me
like nobody's business.

When you hear him, you hear him.

He's like, yo, take
that dude out, man!

Hey, bro, 15, you
ain't got it tonight!

Like, he's like, man...

That's just him.

Being the jerk helped
you get ready for you

say you want to be a
professional, well, guess what?

I know what it's like.

This is stuff you deal with when
you go on the road and playing

in a Utah, in Sacramento, where
it's loud and you can't hear,

or in college, matter of fact.

You go to Clemson,
you go to Duke,

this is what you're
going to hear.

But it's going to
be 19,000 of them.

Yes, it's an empty gym, it
sounds like this, and it's me,

and you can hear me loud
and clear, can't you?

How is it affecting you?

How are you handle it?

When we saw there were 77
universities that wanted him

to be a student
athlete, I thought,

OK, maybe he's got a chance.

Somehow, someway, I kind
of got down to six schools...

Kansas, Kentucky, Florida,
Florida State, Duke, Carolina.

I remember afterwards,
calling Tommy Amaker, who

was an assistant coach at Duke.

And I'm like, what happened?

Why didn't... why
didn't we get him?

And why did he go
to North Carolina?

And so we tried, but
he ended up going

down the street to Chapel Hill.

It's hard to say no.

It's like, you have Dean
Smith, Bill Guthridge.

It speaks for itself.

One, it from my mom is like
his expectations for education

and what he expected of us.

And we were expected to
see in the first three rows

of the classroom in the front.

Pointblank.

That's what was expected.

So I could already see
my mom, you could see her

just smiling at the home visit.

She was happy about that.

I was, too.

She was happy.

But, like, for me, if both
worlds kind of meshed together,

and we were both happy, it
was kind of meant to be.

So I knew I made
the right decision.

You're at the
University of North Carolina

Chapel Hill playing basketball.

Even if you
didn't watch Carolina,

you saw the highlights.

It was incredible.

A Dukee wanted to
watch Carolina just

to see what kind
of incredible dunk

that he might have in the game.

It was a
little bit of an adjustment

for him his freshman year.

Then the sophomore year,
he just started to explode.

We remember Vince at Carolina.

You know what I mean?

So we knew what we were getting
ready to witness in the NBA.

We knew it.

I don't even watch
college basketball,

and when Vince was
at Carolina, like,

it was must-see TV for me.

That's when I
figured, OK, it looks

like we might be NBA-bound.

ERNIE JOHNSON, JR: It
is a night when hopes and dreams

and butterflies abound.

Its Draft Night 1998.

You could tell he was
nervous, because it's draft day.

You hear, you may go
here, you may go there,

but you never know.

The fourth pick was
interesting because I worked

out for Toronto, obviously.

Antawn didn't work
out for Toronto.

With the fourth pick
in the 1998 NBA Draft,

the Toronto Raptors
select Antawn Jamison

from the University
of North Carolina.

He gets drafted.

It was like, exciting.

It was like, man, my roommate...

My college roommate just got
drafted, like, that's cool.

And then now fifth
pick, we're not sure.

I remember my agent said
this is a possible pick.

So we'll see.

And then, next thing you know,
you hear your name called.

The Golden State Warriors select

Vince Carter from the
University of North Carolina.

All of the things
that you think about for all

these years just happened.

And you watch the
draft year after year,

but now you're
that person there.

You don't know how to react.

I remember getting the
hat and putting it on.

And I remember
going up the steps,

and I remember seeing Antawn.

He was trying to
say something to me.

And he's mouthing, and I
don't know what he's saying.

I'm like, what is he saying?

So I'm trying to,
like, figure it out.

So I go to shake
David Stern's hand.

He said, congratulations.

Stand right here for a second.

There's about to be a trade.

I said, OK.

Toronto has traded the
rights to Antawn Jamison

to Golden State for
the rights to Vince

Carter plus cash consideration.

Oh, shoot, it's for me.

I covered the Golden
State Warriors when they...

they drafted Vince, and then

they traded him for Antawn.

And it probably goes to the
heart of like the misconception

of who Vince was.

Because the Warriors,
at that time,

were trying to create
a better culture.

Tell me about this guy's game.

He's going to be a
tremendous player in the NBA.

He's gonna be one of those
guys whose name is gonna

be in the NBA for a long time.

Even though I
looked at it, I went...

there's a talent
disparity here between the two.

We had fought
hard to get Vince drafted.

The scouts thought that
there were two other players

that they liked over Vince.

And I thought, in
watching the video him

in North Carolina, that
outside of Michael Jordan

as a North Carolina
athlete, there

wasn't anyone as close as Vince.

And he wasn't being
used in what I thought

his maximum potential was.

The prior regime that had
left, Isaiah and them,

had put the word out that
there was no money in Toronto.

So we basically played that
to the other general managers.

We'll do this deal with you,
we'll do that deal with you,

and you got to give us a million
dollars, plus the transaction.

We had a temporary practice
facility at a local university,

Glendon College.

That was OK, certainly not
the standards of NBAs today,

but for back in
the NBA, it was OK.

Our president told us, well,
we don't have enough money

to build a practice facility.

I asked him, how much
do we need, right?

So the Vince Carter
trade got us started

on getting the $3
million we needed

to build a practice facility.

So everybody talks about
what he did, and Vince

created so much value in
the franchise from the night

he was drafted.

He independently stabilized
one NBA franchise by himself.

He legitimized so much

for the Toronto Raptors.

Expansion franchise teams,
they're not very good, right?

I heard someone talking
about the Raptors

when they first started,
I think the line was,

when Vince was there, the
Raptors were three years old,

and like any three
year old, they

weren't very good at anything.

You know, we were having
difficulties improving.

Players didn't want to
go to a losing situation.

Coming off a tough
season, we're not

the most attractive
destination for players,

having only won 16
out of 82 games.

Besides bringing in Vince,
we brought in Charles Oakley

and Kevin Willis, two
tough veteran players

primarily to sort of
establish the culture

and to provide some
experience and leadership

to the younger guys.

And that worked well.

It was a lockout year, so
we didn't start playing,

I don't think, until December.

Vince was our top rookie.

And my thing was to
give him respect.

And when you give
it, you receive it.

And it was very, very easy.

And after we started to
get to know one another,

obviously, on the court, off the
court, it became like a family.

When you have a nucleus of
good veterans around your two

or three young players...

Vince, Tracy McGrady,
Alvin Williams...

Guys like that that
are hungry, guys

want to learn and take
on this responsibility

to lead the team...

And Vince being our number
one guy at that time...

It was just fun to
watch him develop.

T-Mac and I were just
out there playing, hooping,

and just doing what we do.

And that's what made it cool.

They complemented each
other well, I believe.

They played together well,
and they fed off each other.

When I was asked to
come do this interview,

I went through my notes,
and I pull out the note from

February, I think, 22nd of '99.

It's the 12th game
of a 50-game season.

We're playing Chicago
at home, and I've

got all these notes of stuff
that Vince Carter can't do.

It was just a lot of stuff
running through my mind

how to continuously improve him.

You know, I have to
say that I was one

of the luckiest coaches, because
Vince was one of those players

that, if you gave
him the "why" of why

he needed to do something, he
could pick it up very easily.

Canada was and will
always be a hockey country,

but I think he really
inspired a lot of kids

to pick up balls and head
to the court, you know?

I don't think that that was
really something that anybody

was doing before he came along.

But just because of how
electrifying he was,

his highlight reels, he just
made basketball seem cool.

I really think Vince
had a huge impact

on how people in Canada
appreciate basketball,

and that exists today.

It just shows what
Vince is capable of doing.

Being in college, there's
a lot of excitement

coming to the league.

But he just goes with the flow.

But he ends up going
to a team in Toronto

and understanding
that now not just

that he has a state or city,
but he has a country behind him.

And he didn't he didn't sell
them short, because he came

on the scene and he exploded.

And being able to win
Rookie of the Year

just showed how talented he was.

The man that has turned
the slam dunk into an art.

That's the fabulous
"Dr. J" Julius Erving.

Dr. J was my hero.

Point blank, period.

And he so happened to be
a pretty darn good dunker

himself.

Growing up, I taped the
dunk contest every year

to where I remember sometimes
when you play a tape too much,

it starts to get blurry, and
the screen starts to jump

and all that.

In my prime, I mean, I
started dunking the ball

when I used to do
clinics for Converse.

So that was...

I always gave the
audience a dunk show.

So I'm trying to figure out
what he's doing pre-routine,

before that dunk.

And that's what helped
me expand my creativity.

You have guys who can jump
really high that can dunk,

and you got guys who
can jump really high

with creativity, which
kind of separates

you from everyone else.

Playing in the NBA was
a dream, obviously,

but the dunk contest is
what I, like, I studied.

Like, I was like, this is it.

The reason Vince's slam
dunk contest was so good,

he was just head-and-shoulders
above everybody else.

It wasn't... as we say,
it wasn't a fair fight.

I knew he was a favorite.

I don't know if the world
knew he was a favorite.

All he did was say, here
come a handful of dunks.

Good luck to the rest of you.

Right about now, I am

thinking about all the
times I tried this dunk,

and it looked awful.

As I put that head down, that's
when I was like, we got this.

Let's go home!

Let's go home,
ladies and gentlemen!

It was all before
he even got to the finals.

Really, after the first
dunk, that was already it.

I mean, that was a dunk
I'll always remember.

I wanted to
set the tone first dunk.

Not, oh, OK, all
right, he's warming up.

No, no.

I'm ready.

I'm here.

Like, if you don't
get on this level...

The dunk contest is on
one side of the floor,

and when Vince would
come up to dunk,

the whole arena would
run to the other side.

It was that crazy.

On this next dunk, I'm
trying to show distance

while doing a windmill.

Kenny Smith, the
only judge not to award a 10.

What's going on?

The nine dunk was a
10 in any other setting.

And that first dunk just
set a tone in the building.

But I said, that is the new 10.

So with this
one, we had to use a teammate.

So we get out there, it's like,
all right, what am I doing?

I said, stand right
here and just...

Just bounce it,
and then back up.

He's like, man, what
are you about to do?

I said, you'll see.

Incurred an
injury dealing with weights

in the weight room.

So he's stitched up in the
left hand doing all this.

Oh!

It's over!

It's over, ladies and gentlemen!

I don't have,
like, catchphrases.

And I don't know if he heard me
or not, but at the same time,

he goes like this, "It's over."

And Kenny going crazy
telling me, it's over!

It's over!

I just attempted a
dunk that I've never

tried before, like somebody...

The dunk gods or
somebody, somebody...

Thank you.

He pointed up at
the rafters like this,

and that forever stuck with me.

So when it came down to
2016, we were in Toronto,

I made sure I pointed
up just like he did,

as a tribute to Vince.

I had to do it.

I am literally
making these dunks

up right here in front of you
tonight and pulling them off.

You can't tell me nothing.

It's over!

You can't tell me nothing.

He was a
genius in a physical way,

in that, like, he
could just imagine

something and then execute it.

You know, these unbelievable
physical acts that,

for most people,
would be like, I got

to do this over and over again.

Dunk number four, what do I want

to accomplish in this dunk?

As I turn around, I said,
like, a quick prayer, OK,

don't kill yourself.

So when I walk by, I'm
just rubbing it last second

just to say, just
to kind of prep

it for this, because I don't
know if it's going to hurt

or not.

And as I go, I just
remember taking that one-two

and jumping up high.

Carter with his
first on the final round!

I close my eyes to hold on.

And I wanted to hear nothing.

I think we were just all in
awe of what he did that night.

I just remember landing like...

look around, and the
first thing you're going to see

is Shaq's face.

And it wasn't that he just
stuck his whole arm in there,

it's like he put it
there and just kind

of gave you a couple of these.

Because he knew that people were

going to have to catch up with
the idea of what he just did.

Because it wasn't
through the legs,

it wasn't the other things
that he did, it was,

this dude just went so
high that he basically just

jammed his arm into the basket.

He said... afterwards,
he said he did stuff

that he had never practiced.

So it was like
creativity on the spot.

That's probably
why it was so good.

He just owned the night.

He owned the arena.

And, to me, it will always
be the single greatest dunk

performance that I've ever seen.

He's in a class by himself
when it comes to dunking.

Like, he's simply in a
class by... you don't...

You can mention
whoever you want.

There's some great
dunkers out here.

You can mention all
those guys, and I will...

Ditto.

But when you try to compare
somebody to Vince Carter,

I don't want to hear it.

It was a whole
different environment.

He ignited a country
with a dunk contest.

He put Canadian
basketball on the map.

The Toronto Raptors
basketball team hit the court

at the Air Canada Center.

The crowd went
crazy when the dunk

master himself, Vince Carter,
made his grand appearance.

Vinsanity, to me, it
means the dawn of a new era.

The dawn of a new culture.

Vince was taking
over the league.

He was going crazy, man.

He had now established that
he was more than a dunker.

He was scoring 50 balls,
40 balls, 30 balls,

night after night after night.

Half man, half amazing, right?

Only I think at some point,
he just became all amazing.

You know, with me, like,
we would be in a locker room,

and we knew we was getting
ready to play against Vince.

And all I was just telling the
big men, just watch your head.

You know what I mean?

Because he will
make you a poster.

"Vinsanity" is cool.

And I think "Air
Canada" is probably

the better one, though, because
I grew up in Sacramento.

Jason Williams was
a rookie that year.

This was pre-Instagram,
pre-House of Highlights,

pre-internet, everything.

And so, for a guy to be in
Toronto, and it's the, I think,

fifth year of the
franchise even,

he really opened the door
to the whole country.

And so I think that's the piece,
when you look at the legacy,

that really sticks out
to me is like how much he

could put that city on the map.

Even though he might not

have been Canadian, like,
a lot of us kind of just

accepted that he might be.

Like, we want him
to be, and that

was a big part of I think
of a lot of our development

at that age.

With one of
his signature slam dunks,

Toronto Raptor Vince
Carter inaugurated

a new state of the
art basketball court

in Etobicoke today.

Carter, through his charity,
the Embassy of Hope Foundation,

built an NBA-sized court with
a pro surface and lighting

system valued at $130,000.

It's a gift to the
kids in the Dixon

and Islington neighborhoods.

I just hope it creates a lot
of great basketball players.

I mean, we're not
here to really create

NBA superstars or
anything, but I think just

instilling confidence
in each and everybody

here and giving them
some place to play.

I'll never forget,
we went to the mall,

I'm with Vince Carter.

And at the time, Vince
Carter was, like,

really Vince Carter in Toronto.

Like, everybody knew Vince
Carter, so it was, like,

people looking.

And then it got to
the point where we had

to run out the mall, like run.

We went downstairs,
got to the car,

and when we got in
front of the mall,

we got surrounded by people.

Like, it was crazy.

Like, people around
the car, Vince!

Vince!

Surrounded, but
we couldn't drive.

And I was just like...

awe, like, I was in awe.

My mouth was open.

Vince was like, man, I
told you this was crazy.

It didn't take long
before Vince's face

was on bus benches, buses,
and sides of condos.

Just everywhere.

Most players
are playing for their city

or for an adopted fan base.

Playing for and having the
responsibility of not only

being the star for
an entire country,

in terms of that sport, but also
for a relatively new franchise

that basically was
depending on Vince to take

them to the promised land.

The first time they
made the playoffs

was because of Vince Carter.

What they were going to do
internationally and sort

of making their
mark in the league

was going to be because
of Vince Carter.

That's a lot.

Life is a little different.

A little more media
coming around.

My confidence is at
an all-time high.

I'm playing pretty
good basketball.

I received a phone call
from USA Basketball,

and them saying, we want you on
because Tom Gugliotta got hurt,

and would I accept.

"Would I"... what?

Would I accept?

Man, can't even tell
you what I said.

Watching the Dream Team,
watching Dream Team II...

So you're talking
about a '92, '96...

We're that next group
after Dream Team II.

I was just elated
to join the group.

I remember getting that jersey
and taking those photos...

because I remember
seeing the original photo.

And then all of a sudden,
I see the new photo,

like, they Photoshop
me right on in.

And I was just sitting
there like this,

I was like, I took
that picture by myself.

When we got
Vince for that 2000 Olympics

through Australia, we all
knew once he took flight,

no one was gonna jump with him.

I was excited.

I think Gary Payton
was excited, because we

had another weapon that we could
throw a lob to above the rim.

Kidd in the paint.

Still goes right at it.

- I
- don't know how Gary

Payton misses that easy layup.

Let's start by that.

I'm thankful for it, because
it became a historic play.

It was just one of
those things that right

place at the right time.

Guy gets the ball, he throws
a behind-the-back pass,

and I see the lane, and I was
like, I'm jumping too far.

As I hit him, I'm
looking past him.

Vince Carter inside...

Oh!

Oh!

I'm celebrating
I made it, because I

knew I jumped too far.

Meanwhile, KG is cheering for
something totally different.

And after the game,
Gary Payton actually had

the play on their camcorder.

That's how I found out
that I jumped over him.

When he jumps and takes
off, it's like in slow-mo.

You go, did we just see
him jump over this guy?

It was just incredible.

You know, that was just a
tribute to his athleticism,

his creativity, and
what a good adrenaline

rush can do for a person.

To get over a whole seven-footer
and dunk it clear with barely

pushing off, that's
like one of the most

ridiculous dunks of all time.

We still talk
about it to this day.

And it kind of
launched the shoe,

too, because he was
in a transition,

I think, from Puma to Nike.

And this is when the
Shock was coming.

And so when he did
that, it was incredible.

I tried to put on those
Shox, it didn't work for me.

I didn't jump like that.

Vince, in particular,

just didn't have a
great first playoffs,

which of course he didn't.

I think he was 23 years old.

You just need the experience
of playing in the playoffs

and understanding
what it's about.

Because it's a totally different
basketball game than playing

in regular season at any point.

The Knicks beat us down.

Took a little abuse
from the media,

just because, oh, he
couldn't get his team to win.

You know, they were
just better than us.

And we were learning.

And I think T-Mac
had a great series.

It was a positive
sign, even though we got swept,

I think.

It was those games
were pretty close,

and we showed that we
were pretty competitive.

It was a real sign
that we had, again,

taken another big step
forward in establishing

ourselves as a good franchise.

One of the key
issues we faced was

the Tracy McGrady free agency.

Back then, there was a
different rookie contract

when a player got drafted.

The potential loss
of Tracy and his

know inability to commit
one way or the other

to signing with us or
another team sort of put

the team in a real bind.

You want everything
to be smooth.

When you're trying to
keep a guy like a T-Mac

with all the potential, you want
everything in your organization

to be running smooth.

And it kind of just started
to get a little bumpy.

In my end the year
meeting, I presented

that, if Grunwald and I
could sign Tracy McGrady,

would the franchise consider
moving Grunwald to president

and give me the
coach and GM title.

I think that Tracy, with the
style that they were playing

in Toronto and sort of the way
the Raptors coaches used him,

he certainly didn't
feel like a main guy.

And that was part of why he
wanted to depart for Orlando.

I didn't get as much
playing time as he did.

That was Vince Carter's show.

Couldn't talk me out of it.

I mean, I hated...

Vince, I hated to leave you,
but it's a business, baby.

I hated to leave, but, you know,

I had to do what's best for me.

It hurt a little bit.

You know, but that's the way
it goes, and I slept on it.

So what now?

But, definitely, it's
tough to swallow.

I guess when they feel...
You think they feel one way,

and then they leave, here
comes the truth, I guess.

When two guys aren't talking
directly to each other,

then it just becomes, well,
he said this about you.

What I remember is Charles
Oakley getting in the middle,

basically, and
handing one of them

the phone that the other
one was on and saying,

here, work this out.

We were too close and too tight

and having too much fun
together for this to seem real.

When Tracy elected to leave
to go to the Orlando Magic,

it was...

I don't think it hurt
us that much initially,

but I think over
the course of time,

to lose a talent
like Tracy McGrady,

was a big setback for
the long-term development

of the franchise.

When I heard him say,
I'm getting an opportunity

to play in front of my family,
my home crowd, like, where I'm

from, I'm like, shoot, if
I had that opportunity,

I'd do it, too.

So there's no ill
will, no hard feelings.

The sad part was, if Tracy
would have been just drafted

out of high school where he
lived and come to Toronto,

he would not have had such a tug
of heart to go back to Florida.

You know, everyone
wanted to resign Tracy.

Vince wanted him back.

But that was one of those
difficult situations

that an organization
has to go through.

Now the fans and everybody
else, all right, T-Mac leaves,

what happens to us?

Fortunately for us
the next year, we

play the New York Knicks again.

And we were able
to win that series,

and we closed it out on
their court, which was crazy.

PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER
4: The game is over.

The Toronto Raptors coming in,
and in only their second year,

making the playoffs.

The fact that
they were able to come back

the next year.

And I really think it says
something about Vince Carter

that you're playing
the same opponent,

you're put back in the same
situation at Madison Square

Garden, and they got it done.

You have to put past
the historic moment

and the big win.

Now it's a whole new challenge.

It's the next round, It's a
little tougher, because you're

playing a better team.

Here in Philadelphia,

we're getting ready before
the 76ers and the Raptors.

It's Game 1 of the best of 7,
a match-up of Allen Iverson

and Vince Carter.

Whatever AI was
doing for his team,

I needed to do for
my team but better.

When you talk about Vince
and AI in that playoff series,

it was just one of
those TV moments.

AI was by far one of
the most gifted scores.

He was their leader.

And there's another situation
of a guy understanding

that he's the man, and his
ability to score was needed.

Definitely a war, obviously,
because it came down to Game 7.

So it was tough
for us in Toronto.

It was tough for them in Philly.

If you love
basketball, that series

was what you wanted to see...

Allen Iverson with just
everything about the playground

coming out in that series.

And then Vince Carter with just
the spectacular athleticism.

And the way he moved, and
you saw it in that series,

it's just like he's
lightning all over the court.

And they're going
back and forth,

and the fact that that series
got to a game 7 is perfect.

We felt like we can go out there

and compete and win the series.

Getting to Game 7, that's
where the pressure was.

We got to figure out
a way to have one more

point than this team to
move on to the Eastern

Conference Final.

Now, with me, I made a little
tougher, because, that morning,

I chose to graduate
from college.

My favorite people.

Mm-hmm.

There it is.

My diploma.

It's already been a busy day
for Toronto's Vince Carter.

Vince arrived in Chapel
Hill at about 9:00 AM

to attend his college
graduation ceremony.

We were having a practice,

and I went to every
player on our team,

do you have a problem with this?

I got a "no, I don't
have a problem with it"

from every player on the
team, management, whatever.

Fly to North Carolina, I get
to the hotel, turn on ESPN,

all of a sudden, there's a
couple of players on the team

have now changed their
story and said they

have a problem with me going.

People said one
thing, you got back,

and they felt another way.

You want to tell us
who those people were?

No, that's all right.

It's all right.

ERNIE JOHNSON, JR: One of the
most controversial chapters

of his career, there will
be those who say, oh,

how can you do that?

You can't do that to your team.

Basketball is not who he
is, it's what he does.

Who he is the guy who said,
I made my mom a promise.

The Raptors will have a chance

to win it at the buzzer.

The play was drawn up for me
to catch the ball at the top

of the three-point line.

I remember Tyrone
Hill denies that.

Carter trying to get free.

You've gone
through all the repetitions,

and you've prepared for it.

You visualized it.

Now execute it.

PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER
5: Carter at the buzzer!

The first half of that shot,
I'm like, oh, this is good.

This is going in.

I think my heart stopped.

You know what I mean?

And it took so long for
the shot to rim out.

So I'm now I'm hoping
for it to hit the back rim,

pop up in the air,
and just fall in.

One of those bounce,
bounce, bounce, go in.

That's what I'm praying for now.

Carter trying to get free.

Carter at the buzzer!

No good!

The Sixers hold on!

And that's the
Conference Finals!

We had Final aspirations.

And for that shot
right there to go in,

it would have been
heartbreaking.

But you flip the script, and
it had to be heartbreaking

for Vince and his teammates.

Because they got the ball
in the hands of the guy

they wanted it.

You know what I mean?

And those guys, you ask them
now, they live with that.

We want Vince to take that shot.

I think they would
rather had Vince

take that jumper than
someone else having a layup.

You know what I mean?

Because they live
and die with Vince.

And rightfully so.

If Vince doesn't
go to graduation...

Right.

Are you guys in
the Conference Final?

No doubt.

That's just ludicrous.

For me, I never had
an issue with that.

I just thought it was a
testament to his character.

He was supposed to
be celebrated for that.

The fact that he did
that shouldn't have

never came up with the loss.

It should have never
even been mentioned.

And for him to do something so
incredible, how can you make

something negative
out of doing something

so great, something
that you wanted to do,

something that you
dreamed about doing

and something so positive?

As we all know, we
make some, we miss some.

But the whole vibe
of that story was

that he wasn't there
for shootaround,

and that's not the reason
why they lost the game.

- I
- was disappointed.

Let the team down.

Hearing what people had to
say on TV about me going,

about jet lag, about all
of these things that like...

And I'd let that
creep in my mind.

The disappointing thing
outside of all of that,

I felt like I didn't
get enough support.

This is a great time
to show young kids

how important education is.

Student athlete,
not athlete student.

It was a lot to take,
but, with that being said,

I would say
overwhelmed with pride.

Anyone who works that hard
for their college degree

deserves that moment.

When he made that decision
to go to his graduation,

we all was behind him.

Education is so
important, because we

know that your career could
be over within a second.

What was lost in that story
was that he got his degree

from North Carolina, we would
all sign up to get our degree

and then go to work.

And he had that opportunity.

It was just kind of like I
was out there left on an island

by myself, which I was
willing to stand tall for.

Trust in your decision,
stick behind it.

And I did.

And I would do it again.

Re-signing there, I remember
talking with my agent,

like, it was a no-brainer.

It's what what I wanted to do.

I was comfortable there.

I did call Vince and talk to him

about signing his
extension, because I

wanted him to stay in Toronto.

But they had overplayed him.

That led him to being injured.

Some injuries you get where

you need surgery immediately.

Some injuries you can wait
some weeks to see if it heals,

and then you kind of
make your decision there.

Well, with the
knee, the ligament...

We waited to see what was what,
I ended up needing surgery.

Those were real
injuries that he suffered.

And he missed the
end of the season.

And the year after
we lost to Philly

in the Conference Semifinals,
he had surgery, I believe.

When I got the
surgery, and my knee

continued to swell and swell
and swell, I was like...

people were like,
man, well, he can't come back.

He just... I'm like, man,
you all see my knee?

Like, I literally had
a Gatorade bottle.

They had to take all
the fluid out, fill up

an entire Gatorade by the full.

It wasn't done properly,
so I had an infection.

I'm still a young kid.

I'm pissed that I can't
be out there to play.

You're talking about you're
taking basketball from me.

Like, that's all I cared about.

Like, I didn't care
about anything else.

Of course, he was angry
about how he was being treated

and perceived in Toronto,
right, and the things

that the public
were not privy to.

Some errors in
judgment, perhaps.

Like going to a concert while
he's on the injured list

and getting up on stage
and dancing a little bit,

even though dancing a little
bit is not playing basketball.

You know, those sorts
of things sort of

didn't reflect well on Vince.

And I think he got some
backlash for that kind of stuff.

I think he's a bum.

I'm gonna be there to boo him.

And if I could go on the court
and throw a shoulder to him,

I'd do that, too.

Boo!

What do you think of...

Vince, you suck!

What do you
think of Vince Carter?

He sucks!

Yeah.

Thanks a lot for all
your hard work, Vince.

It really paid off.

Vince went from loved to hated.

He was constantly booed.

Raptors fans were
particularly cruel.

That's just the nature

of being in the public
eye and being a person

that everyone is counting on.

And you have to
understand that people

are going to react to
situations like that

in sort of a negative fashion.

There's this old saying,
like, your best player

has to be your hardest worker.

And Vince didn't
have that reputation.

Vince had a reputation of the
game came really easy to him,

and he would take
the easy way out.

But going from sort
of the Mr. Perfect

to getting some criticism
is a bit of an adjustment.

And particularly when you
feel like you are hurt,

and you're doing your best
you can, and you're trying

to play through some pain.

If you haven't played this game,

you don't know
what we go through.

You don't know the
bumps and bruises

and the punishment we take,
I mean, especially back then.

You know, so they
don't really understand

what a guy goes through.

So, if a guy is hurt,
and a guy like Vince

I know who loves
to play the game,

I mean, he's not
faking an injury,

or he's not trying to
get out of not playing.

You know?

He wants to be out there
as much as anybody.

But a lot of times, the
people, they want to judge

your character, your heart.

And that young man
has a big heart.

It was unfortunate that it
played out to where it was

saying that he was quitting.

I think one thing
I read in the media

was he didn't give it 100%.

If they just took
just a moment and took

a step back and just got
to know the real Vince,

they would know how he is.

They would know
that he always gives

his all in everything that
he does on and off the court.

Question my love for the
game is the one that pissed

me off more than anything.

Being questioned for something
you love to do was tough for me

to deal with.

As things started to change,
we get Chris Bosh in now,

and kind of the
franchise wants to move

in a different direction.

You can feel the shift in
the interests of... when

I say "interests,"
of who they wanted

to be their franchise guy.

When it came down to that draft,

we needed another big guy.

And so I thought Chris
would be, again, a good

complement to Vince and add
some talent to our squad.

The structure was
extremely poor in Toronto.

And, at the end of the
day, it didn't work.

As Glen Grunwald's
time came to an end right

at the end of the season, I
remember having a conversation

with the organization,
like, hey, we're

gonna be looking for a new GM.

If you got anybody
in mind, let us know,

and we'll go from there.

The request came
through their front office.

I know Vince had something
to do with it, just

in terms of the ownership
or the management,

wanting to get the opinion
of their best player.

They invited me up, and
when I went to Toronto...

I was met at the airport.

He didn't really get to go
into the facility and tour...

As the process should go.

They didn't appreciate
the different cultures

between basketball and hockey.

In hockey, they view players as
more employees, versus the NBA,

I think it's a players' league,
or it's a partnership, I think.

They felt that Vince
became too big for...

His role was, he's
still just a player.

And I think by not necessarily
doing all he wanted to do,

in terms of the GM search,
was sort of the first step.

I just want to play.

And if you don't want
me here, move me on,

and I'll get out of your way.

I don't want to be in your way.

I just want to play.

I just recall having a
conversation with the coach

at the time, Sam
Mitchell, and I told him,

I don't want to leave.

It was all directed at
me and demanding to be...

I'm like... I had this
conversation with him.

You hear about
trade possibilities,

and, obviously, my
agent gives me calls,

and he has updates because
he was talking with the GM.

I wasn't involved.

And I don't have any
real inside information.

I remember I couldn't
believe the trade they made.

You got a GM to
trade Vince Carter

for a cold six pack of beer.

And I remember
the day it happened.

We're in Indiana.

Wake up to like 70-plus
text messages, a whole bunch

of missed phone calls.

I'm like, what is going on?

Your heart drops,
and you're like,

all right, so what happens now?

And I remember
asking Jalen, I was

like, OK, what happens next?

He's like, well, you
know, you kind of...

he said, you
kind of get your shit

and go onto the next team.

I never felt like I
had the power to say...

To dictate what I could do,
because they're the boss.

What was your first reaction

when you found out that
now I'm going to the Nets?

Well, first of all,
I couldn't believe it.

I thought it was a joke.

You know, I thought
my family was playing

a joke on me and everything.

And once it was a
reality, you know,

you just start thinking,
OK, what do we have

and how can I fit in?

The first thing you
think of is Jason

Kidd and Richard Jefferson.

When we get Vince, I'm
all excited in the summer,

because now I'm like, oh,
we got a chance to win.

When you're
traded to a new team,

you have new energy
and new life.

That's just naturally.

I thought we really had a
chance to be successful and win

the East and give the
Western Conference

a run for their money.

I mean, that was an
incredible time watching

Vince play in New Jersey.

He had RJ, like,
running the right,

he had Vince running the left,
and J-Kidd was down the middle

just picking and choosing who
he wanted to throw lobs to.

To get to play with a team...

An up-and-down fast team, play
with a guy like Jason Kidd,

he made the game easy.

He was trying
to feel his way to fit in.

And I told him, look, you
fit in the day we got you.

You just have to be you
and do what you do best,

and I'll make sure
I get you the ball.

03 seconds left.

Carter with:02 seconds.

Carter for the win...

Got it!

Vince Carter has done it!

They've been on the floor,

the Nets have.

Warming up, the reaction has
not been good for Vince Carter.

Why?

PLAY-BY-PLAY ANNOUNCER
7: He flat-out told

the fans he didn't
try or didn't give

it his best when he was here.

So, yes, they are bitter.

The first game that he

returned back to Toronto
was very interesting.

I was kind of nervous.

From North Carolina, 6'6" guard,

number 15, Vince Carter.

The booing was the
worst I've ever heard

in any sport in my entire life.

He was hurt.

I mean, who wouldn't be?

What human being would not be?

But he gave it
everything he had.

That's how you go on,
and you do what you

did for the New Jersey Nets.

Like, I was
able to take off to next level

and just learn how to score
in many different ways on top

of the abilities I had
coming in to New Jersey,

so it was just awesome.

I was traded from New Jersey
to Orlando in the off-season

during my basketball camp.

I was hosting a
basketball camp in Orlando

and have all my kids
in there, and I just

got finished doing a drill
with every kid in the camp, one

on one, all that.

Tired, and this
guy was like, yeah,

your brother's on the phone.

Your brother's calling.

So I guess he called
the camp director.

I can't remember who
he handed me the phone.

And he's like, bro, you
heard what's going on?

I'm doing a camp.

What's going on?

He's like, you just
got traded to Orlando.

That was a shock
for me, you know.

They said, you got traded.

I was like, OK, great.

And I said, OK, where?

And he told me back home.

It's just... it's
a dream come true.

Vince had an opportunity to
go to a team that was a playoff

team in Orlando that was
competing at a very high level,

and I thought he fit right into
what they were trying to do.

He was a piece that could help.

Once he got to Orlando,
that's when the focus became let

me rely on creating
space jump-shooting,

distributing the ball.

Because everything was built
to go through Dwight Howard.

Here's the other thing,
he came to a team that got

to the Finals the year prior.

My most successful
team would definitely

be the Orlando Magic.

Every basketball
player's dream who

steps into the NBA or
any league, your goal

is to win a championship.

It's all about the
right opportunity.

Orlando might have been
the one that I felt,

OK, we still had a chance.

That's when he started to
expand his game a lot more is

when he got to Orlando,
as he stepped out,

started taking more
of a ball-handler

role on, starting knocking
down the long ball a lot.

He handled his role very well

and did it at a very high level.

He can tell you
probably today that he

put his best foot forward
to win a championship

and just came up short.

We lost to
the Boston Celtics in 6.

And they ended up playing the
Lakers in the Finals again.

So it was just...

That's when I was
like, uh, I might

have missed my opportunity.

Have we seen the best already
that Vince Carter has to offer?

I'll tell you the biggest
problem with Vince Carter.

He's a nice guy.

I never met a great
player who wasn't

a bit of a gruff, who would
slap his mama to get a rebound.

Is he competitive enough?

He's just a guy with
a ton of talent.

He has not pushed himself.

Like I say, I just
think, personally,

he's just too nice of a guy.

He doesn't have that edge.

I got so many
of them I should try to wear.

These ones I should try to wear.

I'll think about it.

I like those shoes.

This was when I was in Jersey.

These are old.

These are my Christmas
edition that I wore.

It's supposed to
be for Christmas.

Magic.

But you got
traded before Christmas?

Once I did.

Yeah.

Yeah, that year.

We had NBA trade
of the blockbuster variety.

Going to Phoenix, Vince Carter.

They kind
of swapped uniforms there.

Money was a consideration.

Expiring contracts
a consideration.

It came out of the blue.

Out of nowhere.

When it happens, you're always
like, well, our team was good.

It's not like our
team was losing.

For us, in Phoenix,
the year before, we

got to the Conference Finals.

Amar'e leaves.

Some things change
with our team.

And so... and those
changes weren't working.

And so then it was, OK, what
can we do to fix things?

And we brought Vince
in and Gortat, who

was his teammate in Orlando.

And so there's always...

When it happens, you
hate to see guys leave,

but you're excited
about the possibilities.

Phoenix was
a tough situation, for me,

I think more than
anything, because that's

when my reserve role started.

It was an adjustment.

I think that was, for him,
sort of the first time

now where, like, the
ball's not in his hands.

You know?

I think in Toronto, I
think in New Jersey,

even playing with
Jason Kidd, the ball

was in his hands a lot.

He was in pick and roll, he
was able to do some things.

And now, all of a
sudden, we're in Phoenix,

and the ball is in Steve
Nash's hands a lot.

And rightfully so.

The first game was
kind of the weirdest

and the most awkward for me.

You, as the starter, you've been
a starter for all these years,

and to now sit there on
the bench, kind of waiting

your turn, it was different.

It's a shot to the
ego a little bit.

You say that you're willing
to do whatever for a team.

This is putting
that to the test.

And do you mean what you say?

A lot of great
players can't adjust

to playing a different
style of basketball,

and they can't
deviate from that.

But I think that's when Vince
started to pivot a little bit.

I went home that
night, kind of sulked...

and just tried to find my way

and kind of get it together.

I think it
really helped him accept

and embrace sort of where
he's at and maybe also

where his future is at.

And that was the toughest
year out of all of them,

I think was Phoenix
and just learning

how to handle that new role.

I think it really
contributed to his longevity.

I asked myself this question...

Does starting mean
that much to you,

or being a closer and a finisher
of a game mean more to you?

I remember having a
conversation with him,

talking about this
is interesting to me.

And whether it was working with
some of the younger players,

whether it was, oh, that
experience of coming

in off the bench and sort
of how the game changes,

and the chemistry
of a basketball game

changes at that moment.

And it struck me in the
moment that he was curious

about other things besides being
the A number one superstar who

was dunking the ball, and
that if he was intellectually

curious and excited about
other parts and little folds

and facet of a game that you can
get from being a role player.

That, to me, I remember back on
that conversation and thinking,

oh, this can be interesting.

And it was.

If you have an
ego in this league,

it's going to get checked.

You know, even the greatest...

Michael Jordan... he...

I mean, his ego
got checked, too.

He needed people.

You know what I mean?

He wasn't going to be
able to do it by himself.

LeBron had to go find
some people in Miami.

So, no matter how great you are,
you're always gonna get sick.

So he did it for himself.

I hold Vince up
now as an example

when I have
conversations with guys

as they get toward the
end of their career

about what do you want to be.

And I think Vince did something
so fascinating by deciding,

what I want to be
is a basketball

player who plays basketball.

And that sounds super simple.

But when you are a decoration
at the end of the bench

because you are "ring-chasing"
as people like to say,

if you are going to the team
where you think you have

the best chance to
win that hardware,

but you're really mostly
just a "locker room presence"

or a "practice
player" or something,

you can do that if
you decide the most

important thing is I want to
cap off my career with a ring.

But then you're
not really playing

basketball in the same way.

And Vince decided,
I want to play.

VINCE CARTER Obviously I enjoy
playing and being a starter

is whatever.

I just wanted to finish
games if possible.

And I still got a
chance to finish games.

At that time, it's just had to
accept it and learn how to deal

with it and it's tough
for a lot of guys

to do that and understand, like,
when you played a starring role

for so long, and
then now you're asked

to play a reserve role,
which you're not used

to, being able to handle it.

I feel like I took
it like a champ.

I did some studying to figure
out how to be consistent at it.

And it kept me around
for another 10 years.

I started I started getting into
on the YouTube and watching,

like, Ginobili, Vinnie Johnson,
some of the great sixth men

in NBA history and
learn from them

and try to incorporate my style
of play, who I am, into that.

And here I am.

Just give me your
initial reaction

to now being a part
of the defending World

Champion Dallas Mavericks.

I mean, what can you say?

They've accomplished
the ultimate goal,

and the next thing I
know, I'm getting a phone

call from the Mavericks staff.

Wow, we get a chance
to convince Carter?

I mean, we
definitely got to do that.

You know, he came
to us from Phoenix,

where he didn't have
much of a role anymore,

and everybody was kind of
saying he was phasing out.

But I think he was
kind of holding back.

Vince came to me and asked if
he could be our new sixth man.

The vast majority of
NBA players are not

going to knock on your
door and say, hey, coach,

can I come off the bench?

And that's... generally,
that's not the dream.

He was phenomenal, and
you don't often, if ever,

get a guy like Vince who
had been in the league

a long time at that point but
had only been with us one year.

The guy was pure class here.

He knew a bigger role
was coming for him.

He came off the bench, and it
was an instant offense for us.

He not only wanted
to help the team,

but he wanted to
challenge himself.

And you know, the
things that you actually

have to do to go from
being perennial all-star

and a starter to
being a sixth man,

you've got to reprogram
how you think a little bit.

And I'll tell you,
Vince was as good

a sixth man as I've ever seen.

It's the evolution of
a guy embracing his role.

You could be a sixth man, but
you can play starters minutes.

You know, if you're playing
upwards of 30 minutes a game,

does it really
matter if he started?

Vince was not only an athletic
player, but he was clutch.

In 2014, you know,
we're playing the Spurs,

and Dallas, San Antonio
is a big rivalry.

That play that we ran
against the San Antonio Spurs

that night, we've run
100 times probably,

and it never really worked.

Right before we
were walking out,

Coach Carlisle comes to me.

He's like, hey, you
might get this ball.

Be ready.

We're down 2 with
1.5 seconds left,

and we had a play that we
had worked on where Vince

would peel off to the corner.

That's a tough place
to play and to make

a play with short
time because we've

got to turn around all the way.

Pump fake just to get
him up, and then shoot it.

And leave it up there
with confidence.

He got to the ball.

Yes!

Yes!

Do you believe it?

The starter.

To see that shot
go in was unreal,

you know, because I
date back to 2001.

Carter at the buzzer.

End game!

12 years later, I get the
opportunity, again, finally

to redeem myself for me.

It was one of the
most exhilarating

moments I've had as a coach.

And for him, for him
to have that moment

in a playoff series like
that, it was just phenomenal.

It almost seemed like the
tougher the shot, the more easy

he made it look, and that's
why he's one of the greats.

Every time I receive knowledge,

I was able to incorporate
it into my game

and could see positive
things happening.

You know, I had Charles Oakley
who played with Michael Jordan.

I had Kevin Wilson who played
with Dominique Wilkins.

I had Dee Brown who
played with Larry Bird.

I had Doug Christie who
played with Magic Johnson.

Those are some of the elite
of the elite that has played

this game that these
guys who have played with

can share knowledge with
me of how they watch them

operate on and off the court.

Just want to come
out here and show some

of my support for, of
course, the rookies

that we had last year and
then for the new guys.

For me, it was a goal to
come out and get myself

in shape and just, you know,
practice with these guys

and just give them as
much knowledge as I can.

If it wasn't for me
playing 20-plus years,

a lot of coaches wouldn't
allow me to be the player

coach and have a voice.

I'm very appreciative
that these young guys...

You know, obviously,
they view me

as a teammate like anyone else.

But they know I've been around,
and they value my knowledge.

And they allow me
to share and help

whenever the time is right.

It was like having two coaches.

You know, a lot of times,
when games he wasn't playing,

you see him up on the
bench, telling guys, really,

you should be here, be
there, just giving him

different type of
information, the things

that they can use to help them.

He was just trying
to do what he could

do or give whatever he could
give to help his teammates win.

This is one of two
things that I'm proud of.

I won the Twyman-Stokes award.

So basically, it's the
Teammate of the Year Award,

and you're voted
by your peers, you

know, players
around the NBA, not

just your current team but all
players involved in this award.

And I won it, and I view this at
the same level, in my opinion,

as a MVP.

Vince had just the
humility and the perspective

and the desire to be in
this game that led him to be

able to play a role, that led
him to be able to go to Memphis

or Sacramento or Atlanta.

He just wanted it to,
you know, not just

keep his career
going but to do it

in a way that was meaningful.

And that's meant
mentoring younger players,

setting an example in terms
of his daily work ethic,

passing along what he knows.

It just speaks to Vince's
generous spirit, I think,

as a player and as a man.

There's no player
that I'd rather

have around all these
young kids today to mentor.

I think that's the
best thing he can

do the last few years
because you want

to emulate him as a player.

But the main thing, you want
to emulate him as a person.

There have been a few
times in the last few years

I thought, well, I wonder
if this is it for Vince?

And then he still shows
up, and he still hit shots.

You know, the game has changed,
but, every now and then,

he'll give you a little glimpse.

You know, he'll get
up, and we'll go, wow.

When it comes to the
humility that it takes

to be a 22-year
player, every year,

he's playing fewer minutes.

He's putting up
fewer more points.

His averages are low.

It's dragging down his career
averages to the point where

it's like, oh, well, he
didn't even average 20

points a game for his career.

What are we talking about?

Well, it's because he
tacked on seven, eight, nine

years at the end
that a lot of guys

wouldn't have hung out for.

He didn't care about
his career averages.

He didn't care what that would
do to some statistical, you

know, box on a website.

He understood that there
was another purpose for him

to stick around this game.

There was a value to it.

I worked so hard to be in shape

and then play this game to
compete against young guys

half my age, so I wanted
to go out playing the game.

I think sitting on
the end of the bench,

not being able to be
a part of this is...

You know, that would kill
me more than anything.

I've obviously been
the same age as Vince

at the end of his
career and knowing

it's the end of his career.

When we first got him the first
year, you know, part of me

thought that was going
to be his last season

and what a special
moment it would

be to have Vince
in his last season

with a really young team.

And he understood the role.

We talked about the role
of leadership and guidance.

Sure enough, when
the season started,

he had to start
for us at the four.

Trey was starting at age 20, I
believe, and Vince was age 41.

And so that was the biggest
gap, 21 years of age,

between starters on the starting
lineup, so it just kind of... it

showed for me how valuable
Vince was when we brought him in

but also how special
he is as a player

to still be able to
play, still be able to be

included as a starter.

Vince has been in the
league 20-plus years.

He's past that vet point.

He's a OG.

Everything he says, it's like,
you know, he's been through it.

Like, you listen to the OGs.

You want to be in their
shoes because he's talking

just as much as the coaches.

Vince is always the first one...

Especially on our home
games, he's always

the first one on the court.

He's always the first one.

His routine, his vitamin,
his shooting routine

is he's always the first guy
before the young guys go.

The Toronto Raptors
were in the NBA Finals

the year before Vince retired,
and he has been a guest analyst

on the Jump on our
show for the playoffs

for the previous five years.

So we've had him at all
of these NBA Finals sites

through the years, and this time
the NBA Finals were in Toronto.

And there was some question
about, was he going to come up?

There has been some
back and forth with him

and the Toronto fan base over
the years at different times.

But to Vince's credit,
he was all in to come,

and we had him on a stage
outside in that Jurassic park

fan area with him,
myself, and Tracy McGrady.

This is dedication out here.

I mean, it's raining.

Yeah, it's not warm.

It's a little chilly.

Exactly.

But there out here because
they want to witness history.

And to have him have that moment

with the screaming
Toronto fans in the rain,

it was crazy out there.

It felt very special to me
that, even though he didn't get

that final lap
playing in Toronto,

that he was there
with the people.

I almost think that that was a
better moment, at least for me,

as someone who watched
him throughout his career,

to see him connect with
everybody in that way

and especially to
be there with T-Mac

felt like really just
everything came full circle.

"He hates Toronto.

He had no luck."

So far from the truth,
so far from the truth.

I still have
business in Toronto,

so not wanting to be there
and didn't appreciate my time?

Never, never.

Definitely appreciate it.

I still appreciate some of
the people that are there.

Still talk to him to this
day, in the organization

and around the city.

That's a big point
of conversation

that day is, you know, what's
going on with the league?

What's going on with the virus?

What's next?

The owners,
organization in general,

we're all in the locker room,
talking about the scenarios.

If this happens, if
somebody tests positive,

what would happen?

We're leaving the
locker room, and we're

about to break the huddle.

And I said, hey,
you know, this could

be our last game without fans.

That was my message.

This could be our last
game without fans.

And Dewayne Dedmon, without
missing a beat, says,

this could be Vince's
last game without fans.

We're coming out to halftime
to shoot, and OP comes up to us

and just tells us,
tells me and Vince,

that the season's
probably get canceled,

that the Thunder and the
Jags game just got canceled.

Coach Pierce says,
you heard about what

happened to Rudy Gobert?

He's like, he tested positive.

And now we know
something's going on,

and we understand, this
is probably it for us.

We still have a second
half to play, try to get back

in this game, get us a win.

We're still focused
on the game, so,

like, we're so far
behind we don't

even understand what
the world's talking

about and going through.

And it'd get to about the
fourth quarter, midway

in the fourth quarter, Dewayne
Dedmon leans over to me,

and he's like, you know this
might be your last game?

Damn, you know what?

This might, like...
This might be it.

Fans are starting to
chant, like, we want Vince.

We want Vince.

We want Vince!

We want Vince!

We just started hearing,
"Vince, Vince, Vince,"

from the fans.

And everyone's chanting to
get Vince back in the game.

It hasn't even crossed my mind.

Deandre was like,
ah, we want Vince.

Like, Oh, hey, Vince.

Sit down.

Chill out.

Let's get this over with.

I don't think he
wanted to go in.

I think the crowd
chanting, "We want

Vince," kind of
persuaded the whole Vince

and LP to put him in.

And made eye contact with
LP, and he looked at me.

And I turned, and
I look at the bench.

I look down at the bench,
and all of the guys

are basically tugging at
and pointing that Vince

and telling him to get up.

But he looked at me, and
he was kind of like, go in.

And it's just like...

Everything changed that
fast in an instant.

And they're going to put him in.

From that point, it was just
kind of like, what's going on?

Like, this might be it.

For me, a lot of things
ran through my mind.

I mean, I was thinking
about my season

being over with
at the same time.

I had a guy right
to my next to me

that this could be the last
time ever playing an NBA game.

And then I remember Trey said,
hey, we're going to get you...

You're going to
take the last shot.

I'm like, all right,
cool, whatever, whatever,

because I'm still processing.

And I hear them,
and I understand it.

But I was like, all
right, cool, whatever.

New York kind of knows we're
running the shot for Vince

anyways, but, in
the event that they

didn't, we had something there.

And Trey did exactly that.

He drove it.

Three guys collapsed
on him, and he

just pitched it back to Vince.

And in a classic Vince moment,
he steps right in off the bench

and played the last 15
minutes, and he drains the 3.

And that's
what they're going to do.

Carter for 3.

Get in there.

Unbelievable.

What an appropriate
play to finish

for the great Vince Carter.

Thankfully it went in, and
it was just a great moment.

You know, and I was able to walk
off, and it was kind of like,

all right.

I made the last shot.

So the ending is
there if need be.

It was a crazy moment.

I was... I'm going to be
able to tell my kids someday

that I gave Vince Carter
his last bucket in NBA,

so that's something
I'll never forget.

But I thought it was a great
moment, not only for him.

Who knew at the time that that
would really be his last game,

but what a great
ending to a career

and what a great
moment for the fans.

And I think the
reason that moment

struck such a
chord with everyone

was it was completely organic.

It wasn't some big hoopla
organized celebration.

It was just the people
in that building

who knew how important
Vince Carter was to the game

and that this moment
must be respected

and that being just natural.

It feels like I've been
retired for about a year

or so because of my internal
clock and how things have

operated for 20-plus years.

Most guys, you can put markers.

With Vince, it's just like
he lived this NBA life,

and you almost have
to look in retrospect

and say, oh, so this
is what he... like,

this is what he
was in this period.

But it was just this natural
conversion of who he was

over the course of his career.

I did not think it
was going to last.

Like, I just didn't.

I didn't think he was going to...

Guy was going to
play two decades.

Never, never.

When people think
of me, you know,

they're going to
think of dunking.

So when I'm asked about what
I want people to remember

is of my legacy, I will
talk about the dunking

because I know that's going
to take care of itself anyway.

You know, he just wanted to
show people that his game was

on the ground as well as
in air and that he could

be this fundamentally sound
player who could do it all,

and he did.

Vince Carter
keeps the game pure.

He filters it, and he doesn't
allow the negative things

to fall through.

That takes a lot.

To carry the league,
which he did,

and then mentor guys who
couldn't carry his shoes

at times, that takes
a real humility,

and I admire him for that.

Whether it's seeing him
working on his broadcast career

or knowing the time and effort
that he's put in to maintain

his athleticism, my view of
him has changed dramatically,

and I think what makes it most
authentic is that Vince wasn't

trying to persuade anybody.

He never made a
concerted effort like,

I'm going to change
your view of who I am.

I'm just going to
continue to be who I am,

and then, eventually,
you'll get it.

So Vince, I got.

To tell a guy who's been as
great as Vince or Karl Malone

or Patrick Ewing or myself
that your life sucks

because you didn't win a couple
more basketball game, I think...

First of all, I
think it's stupid.

And for him to maintain his
excellence for this long

is incredible.

That's what makes him special.

Nobody who's made it to the NBA

didn't spend how many hours
on the court, sometimes

after the sun goes down when
they were supposed to be home

already, just getting
in a few more shots,

"I just want to play
a little bit more",

when no one was watching
when they're 11 years old.

And Vince, to me, epitomized
toward the end of his career

that I just want to... just let
me get a few more shots out.

That's a love of the game, man.

My favorite thing about Vince
Carter is who he is as a man.

It's who he is as a person,
who he is as a friend,

Who he is as a family member.

Everything that he stands
for would be a great man

on and off the
basketball court, Hall

of Fame player, indeed, but
definitely a Hall of Fame man.

Am I a sure-fire Hall of Famer?

Ah, you know, I hope so.

I would love to be
in the Hall of Fame.

If I do have that
opportunity, it would probably

be as a Toronto Raptor.

I want people to see me
more than just a dunker.

I want you to
realize that I have...

It's more to me and my game
than just my ability to dunk.

That's the mentality I created.

That's just how I've gone
about it and learned,

and that's what I
expect of myself.

If you're going to
wear the uniform,

you want to go out
there and compete.

It was about fulfilling
the love that I

still have inside for the game.