Vince Carter entered the NBA as a member of the Toronto Raptors and while he didn’t spend his whole career with the team, there is no denying that his best years were spent in the Six. Carter went on to play 22 seasons in the league and played well into his 40s. The Atlanta Hawks veteran was in the midst of his 22nd season when it all came tumbling down due to the Coronavirus. Eventually, the league ruled that the bottom eight teams wouldn’t be coming back which effectively meant an official end to Carter’s career. 

To honor Carter, Nike is coming through with a Raptors colorway of the Nike Shox BB4. As you can see from the official images below, the shoe has a black leather upper while red, purple, and silver highlights make their way throughout. This colorway is unmistakeably tied to the Raptors and if you’re a big fan of Carter, you should definitely give these a chance.

You will be able to cop them on Monday, June 15th for a price of $160 USD. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Image Nike

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Image Nike

Wednesday night's game between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks may have been the last time that will ever see Vince Carter on a basketball court.

During the second half of New York's 136-131 overtime victory, the NBA announced that the league season will be suspended until further notice as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, in what will go down as one of the most unbelievable nights in sports history. As the Knicks-Hawks game came to a close amid those surreal reports, Carter checked into the game and drilled a three in what could be the final shot of his illustrious career.

Before Zion Williamson came back from his injury, it was quite obvious that Ja Morant was the best rookie in the NBA. Morant has been downright dominant for the Memphis Grizzlies and he is looking to carry them to a playoff spot. The rookie is feisty and bold and doesn't seem to back away from a challenge. All of these characteristics are going to make him a problem for years to come and we can't wait to see it all manifest before our very eyes.

While he didn't participate in the dunk contest, it's well known that Morant is an exceptionally proficient dunker. Prior to a game against the Sacramento Kings, Morant showed off his dunking ability and even paid tribute to Vince Carter with his "honey dip" dunk. Of course, the dunk had Morant hanging from the rim with his elbow. As you can see, Morant pulled off the move to perfection.

Michael Jordan competed in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest the last time the All Star festivities were held in Chicago back in 1988, so it’s only right that he fielded some Dunk Contest questions during the NBA’s return to the Windy City. In an interview with the Associated Press prior to All Star Weekend, Jordan spoke about that memorable 1988 contest where he narrowly defeated Dominique Wilkins, as well as some of the other memorable performances.

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And when it comes to memorable dunk contest moments, Jordan pointed to Vince Carter’s epic run in 2000, specifically the “honey dip” dunk when he dangled from the iron from his elbow.

“The most amazing dunk I have ever seen is probably Vince Carter when he hung his elbow in the rim,” Jordan said, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. “To me that was, without question, just unbelievable.”

Jordan and Dominique also discussed how today’s NBA superstars simply don’t compete in the contest like they used to, and both mentioned LeBron James as the one guy they wish had competed at least once.

“I’d have loved to have seen LeBron,” Wilkins said.

“What we did in the game and excitement that we created when we did dunk,” Jordan said. “People wanted to see that. Is it the same today? Maybe not.”

The 2020 Slam Dunk Contest certainly brought that excitement – but the ending was controversial, just the way it was when MJ bested Nique in Chicago back in ’88.

This weekend, some of the NBA's best players will be in Chicago for NBA All-Star weekend. The actual game is taking place on Sunday but the skills competition will go down on Saturday. Perhaps the best part of the skills competition is the dunk contest which typically provides some of the best highlights of the entire weekend. First Take's Stephen A. Smith is a huge fan of the dunk contest and today on the show, he counted down the five best dunk content champions of all-time.

Smith started the list with Spud Webb at number 5, Zach LaVine at 4, Dominique Wilkins at 3, Michael Jordan at 2, and finally, Vince Carter at number one. All five of these men had iconic dunk contest performances, especially Webb who was able to pull off some incredible moves despite only being 5'8."

Nike has a few more Nike Shox BB4 colorways to release before Vince Carter’s illustrious NBA career comes to a close. Among them, a slick black, grey and red iteration that comes equipped with glossy leather detailing.

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According to Nike, the Nike Shox BB4’s look was informed by its space age concept. A rocket and booster-like appearance was prepped for blastoff and served to amplify the explosive potential of the columns. The upper was designed for intergalactic exploration, too, as designer Eric Avar and the others at mission control researched astronaut apparel.

A specific release date for this latest colorway has not yet been announced but you can expect the kicks to launch on Nike.com in the very near future for the retail price of $160. Scroll down for a look at the official images and continue scrolling for additional photos.

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Vince Carter is about to turn 43 and incredibly, he is still playing in the NBA. His 22nd season will be his last and to celebrate, fans are asking that he compete in the dunk contest at this year’s All-Star game. While this would be a lot of fun to watch, it doesn’t seem to be in the cards. During an episode of the Winging It podcast, Carter was asked about his potential All-Star game appearance. Carter was very firm about his intentions and we’re sure fans everywhere are disappointed about it.

“No chance,” he said. Carter went on to talk about Trae Young’s insistence that he participate. He also spoke about keeping his body in shape and how the All-Star break is necessary for him at this point in his career.

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“I also heard about my teammate Trae Young has put it out there that I should be in the contest,” Carter said. “I just want to make sure I have enough gas in the tank. I want to lay it all on the line. That last hurrah. Play hard.”

While Carter not being in the All-Star game might be a disappointment, we’re just happy to see him play out his final year in style. 

Vince Carter is turning 43 years old in just a couple of weeks and shockingly, he's still playing basketball at a high level. While he isn't scoring at the same clip he did back in the early 2000s, he is still good enough to crack an NBA roster. Amazingly, Carter is the first player in NBA to play in four different decades which is something to proud of. It's hard to keep your body healthy for that long but somehow he has been able to do it. When Carter first came into the league, he was known for his incredible dunking ability. In year 22, Carter can still dunk like no one's business and fans are clamoring for one final dunk contest appearance.

Recently, Carter had fans even more excited for a potential dunk contest appearance as Trae Young posted an alley-oop video to Twitter. As you can see, Carter pulls off the spin-around dunk to perfection and had the whole gym in awe.

For 24 seasons, Vince Carter has been a dominating force in the NBA. The 42-year-old league veteran is currently a shooting guard/forward for the Atlanta Hawks, but his career has taken him to many cities since 1998. He began with the Toronto Raptors (after being traded from the Golden State Warriors on draft night), then onto the New Jersey Nets, then had a brief stint with the Orlando Magic, a year with the Phoenix Suns, then over to the Dallas Mavericks before moving to the Memphis Grizzlies, then he was with the Sacramento Kings for a bit before making a home with the Hawks.

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Carter’s career highlights include being a Team USA Olympics gold-winner, a two-time All-NBA, an eight-time All-Star, Slam Dunk champion in 2000 and Rookie of the Year back in 1999. He’s had a long, successful ride in the NBA for all of these years, and he’s recently announced that this season will be his last. 

During Saturday’s game against the Indiana Pacers, Carter played 18 minutes and scored three points. It may not seem like much, but it was a moment in NBA history that no one else had accomplished. Carter has become the first player in the NBA to appear in four separate decades, and it seems like a great way to bow out into retirement. Check out a collection of Carter’s best plays from each season of his career below.