Vince Carter flawlessly recalls one of his first-ever highlights against Indiana Pacers: 'It was just pretty cool'

INDIANAPOLIS — Vince Carter had dozens of iconic dunks during his NBA and international career. That's why when young players, including Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, are asked which players would be in their dream dunk contest, they rush to say Carter's name.

"Vince Carter," Mathurin answered first with little hesitation. Dominique Wilkins came next, then Zach LaVine and Obi Toppin were his final names after some thought. But Carter was a must-have in the competition, and for good reason — his highlight dunks were among the best ever.

It's natural that Mathurin, who was born in Montreal, gravitates toward Carter. The former Rookie of the Year and eight-time All-Star got his career started with the Toronto Raptors, who were the only NBA team in Canada at the time Mathurin was born. And Carter was electric. He could fly above the rim and became an All-Star in just his second NBA campaign.

This weekend, Carter was named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame. Matt Winer of NBATV revealed all of the finalists in Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday night, and Pacers owner Herb Simon was among the group. 

For Carter, it was a special moment. Beyond all the dunks and highlights, he had a lengthy, impactful career. He never wanted to stop playing, even though his final few seasons damaged his career stats.

"I still enjoyed playing. Numbers didn't matter," Carter shared. "I was more so thankful and prideful that I was 43 and still playing against 19, 20, 21 year olds. And can hold my own."

For Carter, it was all about that enjoyment even in his mid-forties. His resume is strong anyway: eight All-Star games, two All-NBA spots, a Rookie of the Year trophy, a trip to the Conference Finals, and countless Team USA successes. He's a near-lock to be in the Hall Of Fame even after becoming a reserve role player for the final portion of his career.

"I enjoyed to play," Carter said. "I don't care about career averages."

Young players like Mathurin are often fans of Carter. So are some much older veterans. Former Pacers center Tristan Thompson as well as current Raptors forward Kelly Olynyk are among players who shared the court with Carter and told him that they had his poster on their walls growing up.

"It's pretty darn cool," Carter said of that reality, as well as younger players putting him in their dream dunk contest.

The 2024 Hall Of Fame finalist announcement taking place in Indianapolis was fitting because that's the site of one of Carter's first highlight dunks. On February 24, 1999, Carter was playing his 10th career game — a matchup with the Indiana Pacers in Market Square Arena.

The Raptors were getting crushed. They were down 19 points in the second quarter, and halftime was less than three minutes away. Indiana finished with the fourth-best record in the NBA that season, Toronto finished in the lottery.

Even with talent across from him, Carter was fearless. Chris Mullin, a Hall Of Famer, was guarding the Raptors rookie. Future All-Star Dale Davis and former All-Star Rik Smits were waiting under the rim. There wasn't much space for creativity.

Yet Carter found some wiggle room. The 22-year old drove toward the baseline to get around Mullin before leaping toward the basket. In the air, he double clutched to keep the ball away from the rotating Davis, then threw down a reverse dunk so that Smits couldn't block a layup attempt.