SUMMARY
- Vince Carter couldn't think about retiring even after 22 seasons.
- He spoke to Kobe Bryant and eventually found the courage to give retirement a fair shot.
Vince Carter had the longest tenure in NBA history, a career that spanned over 22 seasons. Carter was drafted in 1997 and he played until 2020 making him the first and only player to play through four decades. Over time, Carter began to lose his athleticism and ability to be the high-flying guard with incredible scoring capacity. When he reached the age of 40, the word retireme slowly became a major topic surrounding the 8x All-Star.
But it turns out, a former rival of his, Kobe Bryant made Carter comfortable about the idea of retirement. During a recent interview with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, Carter said, “My last year, I did announce it was my last year. I announced that I was retiring. I struggled with the word retiring. We play the Nets in Brooklyn, Kobe and Gigi are at that game.”
“I struggled with the word retiring… I asked him about that word. How is it? He said, ‘It is the greatest thing ever, it’s the best feeling. You’re gonna enjoy it.'”
Vince Carter on a talk he had with Kobe Bryant before retirement.
(via @TaylorRooks)pic.twitter.com/tumE1Vw2qQ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 30, 2024
He added, “Knowing Kobe and his approach and how he was… he didn’t have a lot of friends and he didn’t care. We were cool, and throughout our years we kinda went at it… To see him, and to see the smile on his face, the hug, the conversation we had was unbelievable. And I asked him about that word, ‘How is it?’ I couldn’t even say it. How is it? He said, ‘Man, it is the greatest thing ever, it’s the best feeling. You’re going to enjoy it.’”
Bryant had retired after playing 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five titles with the organization. Perhaps Carter felt so attached to his job that he was scared of how he’d fill the void of not having to travel with a team, compete, and do something he’s done for 22 years.
Kobe Bryant tragically passed on Vince Carter’s birthday
Vince Carter was fairly surprised by what Bryant had told him about retirement. Bryant claimed that he was able to spend more time around his family, especially his daughter Gianna, whom he coached. “I’m like, if Kobe Bryant, who we all know him to be an a**hole, and the degenerate of this game, can say that to me? I can say, I’m retiring,” Carter continued.
Unfortunately, Carter’s hopes of meeting Kobe eventually to talk more about retirement were taken. “He and that conversation gave me the opportunity… The last thing we talked about, he said, ‘Hey, we’ll get together and have a conversation about it. We’ll talk more about it.’ And in January, he passed. It was a like a couple weeks later, which was on my birthday,” he said. Bryant passed away on January 26, 2020, and his daughter Gianna also lost her life in the same helicopter crash. Carter’s birthday was on the same day.
Vince Carter couldn’t have the farewell run he had hoped for
The year 2020 wasn’t what Vince Carter expected it to be. Soon after Bryant passed away, his farewell season was cut short due to the pandemic. While a few teams were selected to compete for the final few spots in the playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks weren’t one of them. Carter didn’t play the games that were supposed to be his last in the NBA.
But looking back at the Carter-Bryant rivalry, both of them were at each other’s throats over the years. However, Bryant still managed to be the better player averaging 23.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Carter only put up 16 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while only winning 11 of their 31 games against each other. Carter never won a title either.