There has recently been a lot of buzz surrounding Atlanta Hawks veteran Vince Carter and his potential participation in this season's edition of the Slam Dunk Contest. Widely known as one of the best dunkers this league has ever seen, there has been a lot of clamoring from fans, hoping that Carter would grace the highly anticipated exhibition contest one final time before he hangs up his sneakers at the end of this season.

At 42 years of age and in Season 22, though, Carter thinks otherwise:

“No chance,”Vince  Carter declared on the Winging It podcast, via Rashad Milligan of Peachtree Hoops.

That's straight from the horse's mouth right there. Carter has unequivocally shut down any talk of him joining the Dunk Contest, and while this may be a tiny bit frustrating, we completely understand where the eight-time All-Star is coming from here.

Carter then went on to say that he has a hunch on who started all this:

“I heard,” Vince Carter said. “I also heard about my teammate Trae Young has put it out there that I should be in the contest.”

Turning serious, Carter explained exactly why he considers the All-Star break to be a crucial part of his final season in the league:

“I just want to make sure I have enough gas in the tank,” Vince Carter said. “I want to lay it all on the line. That last hurrah. Play hard.”

Time is running out for Vince Carter, and at this point, we all just better enjoy the ride while we still can.