Vince Carter to retire after record 22nd NBA season next year
Li Xiang
["china"]
NBA legendary player Vince Carter announced on Wednesday that he will retire after playing the 2019-20 season to become the first basketball player to play 22 seasons in the league's history.
Before Game 3 of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors, Carter was on "The Jump" with ESPN's Rachel Nichols. Asked about when he will retire, Carter said: "I got one more in me."
Vince Carter #15 of the Atlanta Hawks reaches 25,000 points in his career with a dunk in the game against the Toronto Raptors at the State Farm Arena, November 21, 2018. /VCG Photo

Vince Carter #15 of the Atlanta Hawks reaches 25,000 points in his career with a dunk in the game against the Toronto Raptors at the State Farm Arena, November 21, 2018. /VCG Photo

The 42-year-old is the oldest player in today's NBA and has already completed 21 seasons in the league, a record that he shares with Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Robert Parish and Kevin Willis. Carter's contract with the Atlanta Hawks will be over this summer. If he can find a new team, he will be able to set a new record.
Carter's NBA career kicked off when he was selected by the Raptors with the No.5 pick in the 1998 Draft, around the same time as Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady. These players have now retired, with some were even inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors shocks the world with his performance at the Slam Dunk contest in the 2000 NBA All-Star event in Oakland. /VCG Photo

Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors shocks the world with his performance at the Slam Dunk contest in the 2000 NBA All-Star event in Oakland. /VCG Photo

Carter spent the first half of his career as a core player and could drop over 20 points on average in 10 seasons. Since 2010, he began to alter his game and changed himself from a dynamite star to a 3D role player, which could be a painful process to a lot of franchise players but Carter did it to extend his career. The former "Air Canada" left his footprints in Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis, Sacramento and Atlanta.
Carter did not share the obsession of many star players to get a championship ring. He had a chance to join the Warriors in 2017 but turned down the offer because he wanted to continue his career on the court instead of receiving a ring by spending most of his time on the bench.