Dallas Mavericks: Former Mav Vince Carter to retire after his 22nd season
By Tyler Watts
Former Dallas Mavericks forward Vince Carter announced that the 2019-2020 season will be his final year. See why the upcoming campaign will be historic.
The Dallas Mavericks did not get the prime years of Vince Carter. He joined the team just after their 2011 NBA Championship. Carter was 35 years old and four seasons removed from his final All-Star appearance.
That did not stop him from being a productive role player during his three seasons in Dallas. Carter averaged 12.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 25.1 minutes a night. He started just 43 of 223 games with the Mavs.
Vinsanity has continued to produce since leaving Dallas in 2014. He is a bench role player that can still show flashes of his unique dunking ability.
Fans remember Carter announced his intention to play next season in late April. He released some more news on June 5.
Final season
Vince Carter went on ESPN’s The Jump on Wednesday. He was discussing the Raptors in the finals, and the topic of Carter still playing came up. That is when V.C. announced that he plans to retire after the 2019-2020 season. Fans can hear his words here.
Carter has a chance to set a record before he retires. Assuming he signs and takes the court this fall, Vinsanity will become the first player to play 22 NBA seasons. Carter is currently tied with Kevin Willis, Robert Parish, Kevin Garnett, and Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki.
It is amazing that Carter is still playing at such a high level at age 42. He will turn 43 during next season. Carter continues to ball and will be a productive player again during his final year. He also adds veteran presence and leadership to any team.
It will be interesting to see how Carter’s free agency plays out this summer. Stay tuned to see which team signs him for the upcoming season.
Final thoughts
Former Dallas Mavericks forward Vince Carter announced that he plans to retire after next season. He will have played the most years in NBA history at that point. Carter deserves that honor to add to his Hall of Fame resume.
He has a massive list of accomplishments during his NBA career, but winning a title has always escaped him. Carter has chosen to sign with teams that would give him more playing time over ring chasing in recent seasons. It will be interesting if he continues that trend for his final year.
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