Half-Man, Half-Amazing: Thanks for the memories, Vince

VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - Something Vince Carter did in the year 2000 is what many will remember him for if, in fact, he has played the last game of his astonishing 22-year professional career.

"Le dunk de la mort" ("the Dunk of Death") is what the French called it. It happened at the Sydney Olympics.

Carter, on September 25, 2000, in a Preliminary Round game against France, threw down the mother of all dunks, one that might just be the most famous in Olympic history.

He stole a pass, dribbled twice, exploded off the hardwood and flew over giant center Frederic Weiss and jammed it so hard that all of Sydney shook.

To this day, almost two decades later, basketball fans still go to YouTube to watch that slam.

Weis once said that dunk was so incredible that it electrified a France teammate who was watching from the bench.

"The only thing I remember was Mou Sonko was screaming from the bench like it was me dunking," Weis said. "He was raising his arms like it was us scoring. But it wasn't me doing the dunk. I was on the receiving end."

Indeed, as everyone in the basketball world knows, Carter had posterized Weis.

When Carter once recalled the dunk, he admitted: "I always laugh to myself because I was relieved I didn't embarrass myself."

Now 43 and still defying gravity, Carter was competing this season for the Atlanta Hawks but the suspension of the NBA season this week due to the coronavirus could bring the end of his career. In possibly his last appearance, a 136-131 double-overtime defeat at home to the New York Knicks, Carter entered the game with 19 seconds left and hit a three-pointer.

"The game's been good to me," he said, when asked about the possibility that he had played for the final time. "I enjoyed each and every moment of it, good and bad, so if this is it, at least I made my last basket."

Carter's list of achievements is long. After taking center stage at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carter spent several seasons with the Toronto Raptors before going on to play for New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and now Atlanta Hawks.

The man that had the wonderful nicknames "Vinsanity", "Air Canada" and "Half-Man, Half-Amazing”, played in eight All-Star Games.

In that USA side that won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics, Carter led the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game. He had a team-high 18 points in the USA's 85-83 Semi-Final triumph over Lithuania, their closest game in Sydney.

Carter never won an NBA Championship, yet not every legend does. He did so much for the sport, and especially early in his career in Toronto, where he captivated an entire city and became an icon.

Youngsters wanted to follow his lead and dedicated themselves to basketball. At the NBA All-Star Weekend in 2000, Carter won the Slam Dunk Contest.

Suddenly in Canada, where hockey had always been king, kids were seen dribbling basketballs while walking down the streets. Courts started popping up around the city. It became easier to find pickup games.

Carter was booed in the years immediately after he was traded by Toronto yet as time passed, he heard cheers again on his visits to Canada. He was inspirational. His incredible dunks, the impact he had on basketball in Canada, the remarkable length of his career and his achievement with the USA (he also won a FIBA AmeriCup in 2003) have secured his place in history as a player who made a major impact on the sport.

Jeff Taylor
FIBA

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