Vince Carter 'to join' Hawks for 21st NBA season

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Vince Carter has agreed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks worth 2.4 million US dollars, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday. The Hawks are going through team rebuilding and hope that Carter can help them with his experience.

Born in 1977 and selected by the Toronto Raptors with the fifth pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, Carter is the oldest player in today’s league. In the 2018-19 season, he will join Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnet, Kevin Willis and Robert Parish in starting their 21st NBA seasons.

The world knew who Vince Carter is from this dunk. /VCG Photo

Of all the players currently in the league, only three played in the 90s: Carter, Nowitzki and Jason Terry. The trio were teammates at the Dallas Mavericks during the 2011-12 season.

Before Atlanta, Carter played for seven teams: The Raptors, the Brooklyn Nets (New Jersey Nets), the Orlando Magic, The Phoenix Suns, the Mavericks, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Sacramento Kings. Carter spent the longest time in Toronto – almost seven seasons.

Carter (L) and Dirk Nowitzki will begin their 21st seasons. /VCG Photo

The continuous changing of teams has given Carter chances to meet more teammates. According to Tencent Sports, he has so far played together with 228 players, the second most behind Juwan Howard who had 236 teammates in 19 seasons.

Nicknamed “Air Canada,” "Half Man Half Amazing," and ”UFO,” Carter has been well-known for his slam dunk which is the perfect combination of jumping capacity and power. He is also an underestimated team player and leader.

When Carter was selected in June in 1998, Trae Young, the promising young man Atlanta got from the 2018 NBA Draft, was still three months away from being born.