Vince Carter Retires After 22 Years in NBA

Atlanta Hawks forward and future Hall of Famer Vince Carter previously announced that the 2019-2020 NBA season would be his last, and on Thursday he made it official.

Carter, 43, announced his retirement from the NBA after 22 years in the league, during an appearance on The Ringer’s “Winging It with Vince Carter” podcast, stating that he is “officially done playing basketball professionally.”

Carter did not address his future when the NBA halted it’s regular season back on March 11th due to the coronavirus pandemic, and with plans for the NBA resume it’s season with 22 teams at Walk Disney World in July, the Hawks were on the outside looking in, raising the question if Carter would officially put an end to his career.

Now, Carter has made it official.

“If there was any disappointment because of the season — any of that — it was kind of easier to put it aside and handle it that way,” Carter said (h/t ESPN). “It’s like, OK, it’s something bigger than my career. … It’s unfortunate, but with the coronavirus taking people’s lives rapidly, that’s the big picture in my mind.

“So I was able to put the weird ending — the abrupt stoppage of play, to an ending — aside for the bigger picture.”

Commissioner Adam Silver addressed Carter’s retirement in an official statement, calling Carter “a true ambassador of the game”.

“Vince Carter has made an indelible impact on the NBA with his remarkable skill and enduring commitment.”

Carter, the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1999, is 19th all-time in NBA history in scoring averaged 16.7 points per game throughout his career, spent mostly with the Toronto Raptors and the Nets, but has played for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, and ended with the Hawks.