Former NBA players Nate Robinson and Jason Richardson expressed support for Vince Carter after ex-Washington Wizards superstar Gilbert Arenas blasted the veteran guard.

Arenas said on April that Carter has no reason to return to the league. And in an interview with Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, he insisted once again that the 42-year-old guard should have retired, saying that Carter signed with the Hawks for his 22nd season in the league just to get the title of most seasons played by any NBA player.

Coming to the defense of Carter, Robinson said that there is nothing wrong about continuing to play if he feels he can still contribute to the team. The former Slam Dunk champion also added that veterans like Carter could also help in developing young players.

“As long as Vince can continue to knock down shots in limited minutes, then he’s good,” Robinson said. “That’s all he can do at this point, but they need some wisdom out there to share with these young guys.”

Richardson echoed Robinson's statement, insisting that the Hawks needed a veteran player to mentor their rising stars, and they saw leadership qualities in Carter last season.

“I understand what Gilbert is saying, but he’s on a team that needs a veteran because they have so many young guys,” Richardson said. “They need a veteran presence there, and what better person is there than Vince Carter?”

Carter played 76 games with the Hawks last season, including nine starts. In 17.5 minutes per game, he posted 7.4 points on top of 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.