At 42 years old, Vince Carter is still living up to his nickname: Half man, half amazing.
Despite his age, Carter is inking a one-year contract to return to the Atlanta Hawks for his record 22nd season, passing Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis and Robert Parish for most years playing in The Association.
When he takes the court in 2020, Carter will be the first player in NBA history to appear in a game in four different decades.
Voted Rookie of the Year in 1999, Carter has averaged 17 points in 1,481 regular-season games in the NBA and won an Olympic gold medal in 2000.
To put Carter’s career in perspective, consider that two of the players who were in his class now have moved onto management roles. (Tyronn Lue, currently unemployed, was a coach and won an NBA title in 2016 and Sean Mark is the general manager for the Brooklyn Nets who just signed Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.)
Here are some other players who were drafted with Carter in 1998: Michael Olowokandi, Mike Bibby, Raef LaFrentz, Jason “White Chocolate” Williams, Antawn Jamison, Cuttino Mobley and Rashard Lewis.
When all of those players, including Carter, were rookies, Atlanta’s starting backcourt — Trae Young and Kevin Huerter — hadn’t been born yet.
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