Nets forward Jalen Wilson wasn’t even born yet when Vince Carter began his NBA career with the Toronto Raptors in 1998, and a sophomore at Kansas when Carter retired with the Atlanta Hawks in 2020.
Wilson, 24, never got to play against Carter in the league, but the highlights — and his legacy on the game — speak volumes. So, if Wilson had access to a functional time machine and turned back the clock to face Carter in his prime, he’d think twice before contesting one of his legendary dunks at the rim.
“That’s a business decision,” Wilson said. “I may try to go vertical, but if it’s something I know he’s going to get, might as well just move out of the way. He showed a lot of dudes not to jump.
“As a kid, one of my favorite jerseys still to this day is that old school Raptors jersey and that’s obviously because of him. I grew up in Dallas, so I saw him with the Mavs… I’m 24 so he played almost as many years as me being alive.”
Ziaire Williams, 23, did his homework as well. Like Wilson, he knows Carter’s athleticism was in a league of its own.
“Definitely top of the charts,” Williams said. “Him, [Michael] Jordan. I feel it’s like, a big drop off [after that], you know? I don’t know the next two are, but he’s at the top of that list, for sure.”
The Nets rolled out the red carpet for Carter this week, both literally and figuratively, before retiring his No. 15 jersey on Saturday ahead of their game against the Miami Heat at Barclays Center.
The entire organization was seated inside Brooklyn Paramount on Thursday for a special screening of “From Daytona Beach To Brooklyn”, a 90-minute documentary that chronicled Carter’s Hall of Fame journey.
“Got to learn a lot about Vince and obviously honored his career, it was a great experience,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said.
What impressed Fernandez most about Carter’s story was his longevity. Carter was an eight-time All-Star who was named to the All-NBA team twice. He retired with 25,728 career points and is the only player who played in the league in four different decades.
“You don’t realize that he played for 22 years,” Fernandez said. “He went from being like a top guy to having a different role and accepting that role and that means a lot. These guys need to learn that it’s not just [about] taking care of your body and playing for 22 years, but also accepting different roles, accepting different roles and still being a part of the game, and I thought that was very cool.”
By Saturday morning, the Empire State Building will be lit up in the Nets’ throwback red, white and blue color scheme with No.15 rotating on the spire. By Saturday evening, Carter’s No. 15 jersey will be hanging in the rafters at Barclays Center, forever immortalized in franchise history.
“Right now, all we can do as an organization to give that top respect to somebody is to put the number up there,” Fernandez said. “He was one of the top players, but he also showed that he was 1-of-5 and a great teammate with a smile on his face, and he had to go through adversity. So, honoring his career and putting his jersey up there, I think, is the least we can do and we’re excited to honor his legacy.”
