Atlanta Hawks forward Vince Carter, a 22-year NBA veteran, embarks on his latest milestone in a long career full of accomplishments.
The 42-year-old future Hall of Famer will appear in his 1,500th career game on Tuesday night as the Hawks match up with the Miami Heat.
Two-time NBA champion head coach with the Heat, Erik Spoelstra called Carter “first-class” ahead of the achievement, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Erik Spoelstra on Vince Carter reaching 1,500 career games tonight, 'I'm a big fan of Vince. I've gotten to know him over the years. He's a first-class human being."
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) December 10, 2019
Spoelstra and Carter never crossed paths on the former's coaching career and the latter's playing career. Famously, Spoelstra started with Miami as a video coordinator before being promoted by then head coach-turned-team president Pat Riley as an assistant and later successor to man the sidelines in the 2000's.
Carter has spent time in eight cities in his NBA career, most notably playing for the early franchise years of the Toronto Raptors and latter the post-Finals New Jersey Nets.
Following last season's stint with Atlanta, many were unsure whether Carter could find another spot on a roster. However, the eight-time All-Star wing was adamant about staying in the league, eventually coming to terms with the Hawks in the offseason.
Carter is only averaging 5.6 points and 1.9 rebounds a game these days, appearing in 18 games all off the bench. However, it's still an accomplishment for the former Tar Heel to be in the league across three decades — the 1990's, 2000's and 2010's — with the New Year soon to make him the only player in NBA history to play across four decades.
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