Kings news: Vince Carter inspired Andre De Grasse to finish university degree

Sacramento Kings veteran guard Vince Carter is not just an icon of Canadian basketball, but also a perfect role model for student-athletes.

Canadian world-class sprinter Andre De Grasse last year finished up his bachelor's degree at USC in sociology.

The 22-year-old is coming off winning a silver and two bronze medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics but decided to return to college to finish up the courses to earn the degree that he promised his mother that he would obtain.

During the premiere of the documentary “The Carter Effect” at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, De Grasse revealed that the former Toronto Raptors great motivated him to finish up his degree, according to The Canadian Press.

“He (Carter) kind of motivated me to go back to school,” De Grasse said. “I remember his whole story, he went back to school and finished his degree and then came to the playoff game. So he definitely is one of my inspirations to finish school and still continue with sport.”

Vince Carter is one of the most iconic players in Canadian history and had made it a point to emphasize the importance of a college degree, as he had left prior to Game 7 of the 2001 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers to go to his graduation from the University of North Carolina.

This alone had made a huge impact on De Grasse and likely many others to pursue a college degree. There is only a limited time for a professional athlete to perform his or her craft and by pursuing a degree, there is a strong realization of that from the Olympic sprinter.