In the NBA, dunking is an art form….and nobody perfected it better than Vince Carter.
Vincent Carter, Jr. was born in 1977, Florida. Vince picked up his first basketball at the age of two. He was obsessed with the game, and idolized Julius Erving. The countless hours spent on the basketball court began to pay off when Vince was 11. That was the year he first ticked the rim with his finger. He stood just over five feet tall. A year later he threw down his first dunk.
Vince Carter is considered as the Greatest NBA Dunker of All Time.
Back in the day, when he started to play in the nba, everyone didn’t always agree that he was the best dunker of all time. Some would say Dominique Wilkins, Dr J, Shawn Kemp… or Michael Jordan because of his legend and all the stunning dunks he made during his career. it was hard to give the crown to somebody else... . However, eventually Carter’s reel of slams became so ridiculous we had to admit the obvious. In the 80s and the 90s, we saw Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving and Michael Jordan fly. But what Carter took it to the next level. He brought something different. It looked way beyond human capabilities. And because of that, Air Canada was born.
Vince Carter's nickname was just on point: truly half-man, half-amazing. he was the most exciting player in the NBA. Carter stands at 6’6” (closer to 6.4” in reality) with a wingspan of 6’11”, The man did video game dunks in actual games. He dunked from just inside the free-throw line in a playoff game against the New York Knicks, he’s caught an alley-oop with his head behind the backboard, he’s done a Statue of Liberty 360 jam on a fast break, and the list goes on. he wasn’t just a dunker, he was an artist.
Vince Carter explained that “I was a Dominique fan. I’m a Dr. J fan No. 1. But I studied the art of the dunk for so long. I still have VHS tapes of dunk contests from back in the day that I used to watch to understand the thinking behind every dunk that they were doing. That’s how I approached it, like what was Dominique trying to get out of the two-hand windmill dunk? Was he just doing it to say, ‘Hey, I can do a two-hand windmill dunk?’ Or was he showing technique? I’m more into the technical side. I feel like you understand more about the move that he was trying to do. You have more of an appreciation for it.”
Just a few months before the Olympics, Carter had put on a show during the NBA Slam Dunk Contest : He lived up to expectations which were gigantic, but the best was yet to come.....
On SEPTEMBER 25, 2000 Vince Carter's transcendent moment came against France at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Carter was 23 years old when he threw down “le dunk de la mort”.
With Team USA already beating France 69-54, it happened with about 16 minutes left on the clock in the second half, with Team USA leading by 15 points. Carter intercepted a pass as the French looked to make a quick transition and was left with only 7-foot-2 center Frederic Weis between him and the basket. the 6-foot-6 Carter dribbled toward the rim. Weis, who stood in his way had been drafted 15th overall by the New York Knicks the previous summer. Carter did not even dunk on him, which would have been impressive enough. Rather, Carter literally dunked over Weis, clearing the french center for a one-hand flush. He took off in front of Weis, hurdled him completely, then landed behind him as the French foil could only turn his head and gape in disbelief. many basketball aficionados now consider Carter-on-Weis to be the greatest in-game slam ever dunked. on the biggest stage of sports known as the Olympics.
I knew he could jump, but I didn’t know he could jump over me,” Weis told reporters after the game. And in fact, Vince and him discovered it at the same time. Even carter admitted that “It was just a case when the moon and stars lined up just right for me at that moment. I never thought, talked about, dreamed of, imagined — whatever, you name it — I could do something like that,” he told ESPN.com. “I never would think to try to jump over a 7-footer.” “At that time, I’m just thinking I jumped too far out and I’m gonna come up short, like in that sprite commercial”.
Media in France nicknamed it "LE DUNK DE LA MORT" — the dunk of death. The reaction of Carter's teammate Kevin Garnett says everything: Carter was asked by what he'd say to Weis if they met again today. Carter said "the first thing" he'd do is apologize for the moment that will define them both forever.
It was maybe the same feeling he had when he first discovered his gift. As a young guy, Once, on a drive to the basket, he left his feet earlier than he planned and rose to the rim. Vince was prepared to toss up a floater or flick in a finger roll, but to his amazement he kept going as the defenders descended and pulled off an amazing dunk. The other nine players on the court stood in slack-jawed awe.
Carter admitted that Jordan was the better overall player, but if they both were in their primes, he would take His Airness down in a dunk contest. "I like me in a dunk contest," "I can’t step down from that one. Greatest player of all time, though, I give it to Mike.”
Mike probably think differently but for once.................. Michael would be the “UNDERDOG” !
To know more about the subject:
PS (September 25, 2015), Carter to Weis: 'I'm sorry', retrieved July 9, 2017
Ojeda, Louis; Ojeda, Louis. "NBA's greatest dunkers of all time". FOXSports.com.
Raptors Highlights: Vince Carter Tribute – November 19, 2014". Retrieved June 19, 2016.
Reynolds, Daniel (August 9, 2017). "The Vince Carter documentary "The Carter Effect" to play at TIFF17". RaptorsHQ.com. Raptors HQ. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
Entretien avec Frédéric Weis" (in French). Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
Wallace, Michael; Peterson, Rob (September 25, 2015). "In a Single Bound". ESPN. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
Gould, Andrew (15 February 2018). "Relive Vince Carter's Iconic Dunk over Frederic Weis in the 2000 Olympics". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
