Carter is already looking towards the future.
At 42 years old, Vince Carter is the oldest player in the NBA and will be playing in his 22nd season during the 2019-2020 campaign. After re-signing with the Atlanta Hawks, Carter will be given the opportunity to play at the age 43 and if he plays a game in 2020, he will be the first player to have a career spanning across four different decades. In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Jacob Feldman, Carter spoke about the upcoming season and what he sees himself doing in the future. As it turns out, Carter hopes to be in the booth someday and vows not to be a coach.
“I like coaching the game but I don’t want to coach,” Carter explained. “There’s no loyalty in my opinion to coaches. But I can be a coach on air, helping viewers understand what they’re seeing or how we see it as pressional players. Because me sticking around on the basketball side, I understand the approach and what it takes. Doing it this way got me to 22 years in the NBA so why not take that approach and learn along the way, just like I did then. I didn’t know 30 years ago how to go about what I really wanted to accomplish. I studied, asked questions, and learned. I’m doing the same things now, mirroring that step-by-step approach.”
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Carter also spoke about his farewell tour and admitted that he’s not looking forward to all the standing ovations. He feels as though it will make him too emotional and he’s not sure he knows how he will be able to handle all it.
Either way, it will be a fitting end for a player who proved to be a legend during his time in the league.