UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Vince Carter is “half man, half awesome” and all Hall of Famers.
The former Nets star will be enshrined Sunday in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
He will receive an orange jacket symbolizing basketball immortality, which will be presented to him as a fitting gift by Julius Erving.
Carter, 47, often visited the Meadowlands and would see the jersey numbers of his favorite athletes hanging from the rafters.
Now, the former Nets star who turned dunking into an art form shows off his high-flying dunk.
“It's crazy because I remember going to Jersey and all that stuff. I'd go there every night and watch it.” [No.] I’m 32 years old,” Carter told the Post. “Of course, that’s when I met Doc, and he’s a friend now.
“I called Doc and he didn't answer. I left a message. … He called and I remember hearing his excitement and thinking, 'This is crazy.' Therefore, it adds to the beauty of what is already happening. Dr. J called me and said, “I'd love to be a part of your delegation.'' So I was just like, “Yeah, let's go.” ”
Sunday will be the highlight of a long career full of highlights.
The only person in NBA history to play for part of 40 years, Carter played a league-record 22 seasons and had a number of great performances, including the NBA Slam Dunk title in 2000. Later that same year, at the Olympics, he made the “death dunk'' over 7-foot Frederick Weiss. And that poster of Alonzo Mourning.
Carter played for eight teams, but is most associated with the Nets and Raptors.
He played over four seasons in New Jersey, starting with the Dec. 17, 2004 robbery that led Nets president Rod Thorn to change both the franchise and Carter.
“What always puzzled me was when people said, 'So why didn't he do it for us in Toronto?'” And I never understood that. I couldn't, because I was like, “That's Jason freakin' kid.” Let's start there. ''' Carter explained. “[Richard Jefferson]the first day I got there was like, “Welcome to the team.” You'll love it! If I could give you any advice, it would be, first of all, run with your head on high. ”
“It was just amazing.”
The same was said about Carter, who earned the nickname “half man, half amazing.”
After averaging 15.9 points that season with the Raptors, he proved to be a great fit for the buoyant Nets.
He spent the rest of that season in New Jersey, scoring 27.5 points, which remains the franchise's highest scoring total in NBA history.
Carter went on to appear in four playoff campaigns while in the swamp.
And, ironically teasing his incredible longevity, he only missed 11 games during his time with the Nets.
As a sign of his importance, they lost all of them.
“[With] Jason, we'll run first. We were trying to get layups, dunks, highlights. Well, I'll do whatever it takes. So that was important to me,” Carter said. “[I said]'Be honest; don't worry. Be the best version of yourself. They made the trade for you for a reason, so do what you have to do. ”
“Teams will get to the post before me. [Kidd] He used to say, “I'm going to throw it off the backboard, so let me get to the front.'' You can catch it and dunk it, because now he's behind you and he can't do anything about it. I said, 'Well, my gosh, that's genius,'” Carter recalls. “That's what we created, what we saw in New Jersey. We're playing with Jason Kidd. This is cool.”
Carter scored more than 25,000 total points and was an eight-time All-Star.
On January 25, his No. 15 jersey will be retired by the Nets and hung in the rafters next to Kidd and Irving.
And on Sunday, he too will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
On Sunday, 88-year-old Knicks legend Dick Barnett will also be enshrined.
