Vince Carter has entered his 20th season in the NBA in his first campaign with the Sacramento Kings.
It has put him in rare company as only a few players have reached that impressive milestone in their respective careers in the league. According to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, it's something that Carter holds his high about being able to accomplish.
“This is what I wanted going into free agency. I wanted to be able to play and compete. I am still going to be a team guy. I’m still going to mentor guys. I’m not going to say ‘coach’ guys, but I’m still going to [mentor]. At the same time, I want to play as well. That’s just who I am and what I do. Leading up to today, there was a calming excitement, if that makes sense. I was like, ‘Man, it’s another season.’ But at the same time, I was excited to be doing it again. Not many guys can say they played 20 years. There are only a select few. And some of the guys I’ve played against are some of the legends of the game.”
Although Carter may not be the player he once was, he has been able to continue to be a consistent contributor while now being put into a mentor/bench role at this stage of his career. The 40-year-old has fully embraced that role on with clear recognition of what it entails.
What has been most telling has been his ability to stay relatively healthy over the last several years despite it being the point where most professional athletes see their bodies break down. He has pushed past that with his strong commitment to his personal health and willingness to play in a limited role off the bench.
Above all else, this has allowed for him to continue to play the game he loves while remain an effective player on the court as his career winds down.
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