UNC basketball’s Vince Carter nominated for Naismith Hall of Fame
Vince Carter, a former UNC basketball and NBA standout, has been nominated for the Naismith Hall of Fame.
Carter, whose No. 15 jersey hangs in the rafters at the Dean E. Smith Center, is among the first-time nominees eligible for the Class of 2024. Carter, 46, played three seasons with the Tar Heels before spending a record 22 seasons in the NBA. He retired in 2020.
Finalists will be announced Feb. 16 in Indianapolis during NBA All-Star weekend. The 2024 class will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four in Phoenix on April 6 and the enshrinement ceremony is set for Aug. 17.
There are 12 Tar Heels in the Naismith Hall of Fame: Dean Smith, Roy Williams, Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Larry Brown, Charlie Scott, Frank McGuire, George Karl, Billy Cunningham, Bobby Jones, Bob McAdoo and Ben Carnavale.
Vince Carter’s Hall of Fame resume
In two of his three seasons at UNC, Carter helped the Tar Heels win an ACC championship and advance to the Final Four. Known for his high-flying, above-the-rim prowess, Carter became an All-American as a junior with averages of 15.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He shot an ACC-best 59.1% from the floor that season.
A top-five pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 1998 NBA Draft, Carter was traded to the Toronto Raptors for fellow UNC star Antawn Jamison. Carter also played for New Jersey, Orlando, Phoenix, Dallas, Memphis, Sacramento and Atlanta.
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The NBA Rookie of the Year in 1999, Carter became an eight-time All-Star selection and made waves with a spectacular show in winning the 2000 slam dunk contest. He also helped USA Basketball win a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, highlighted by his slam over 7-foot-2 French center Frederic Weis.
His athleticism and highlight-reel dunks earned him the nicknames "Vinsanity," "Air Canada" and "Half Man, Half Amazing.”
By the time Carter called it a career, he became the first NBA player to appear in four different decades. He suited up in 1,541 games – third-most on the league’s all-time list – and scored 25,728 points, 20th-most in NBA history.
USA Basketball ‘Redeem Team,’ Rick Barnes among other Hall of Fame nominees
Joining Carter as first-time nominees were the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, Seimone Augustus, Bill Laimbeer, Mike Fratello and Penny Taylor.
Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski led the “Redeem Team,” which represented USA Basketball’s rise from a bronze-medal finish in 2004 to winning gold in 2008. Former NC State player Nate McMillan was one of Coach K’s assistants and Kobe Bryant was team captain for a squad that included LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
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Barnes, 69, is in his 37th season as a college basketball coach, including nine with the Volunteers. The Hickory native is approaching 800 wins.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball’s Vince Carter nominated for Naismith Hall of Fame
