Vince Carter remembers the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest as if it had simply occurred when he went from a promising teen to a full-fledged phenomenon.
He had been named NBA Rookie of the 12 months the earlier season with Toronto and now he was an All-Star for the primary time. However when he hit the ball in Oakland, leaping so excessive with such pressure that he put his arm via the rim, he created maybe the best second of a Corridor of Fame profession that may final one other 20 years.
“What the dunk contest did for me, in a single day, modified my life,” Carter mentioned Saturday throughout a information convention at Mohegan Solar On line casino to debate his induction.
Some gamers have careers like that, the place they appear to take off from the second they’re drafted and by no means cease — in Carter’s case till he performed an NBA-record 22 seasons.
After which there are guys like Chauncey Billups.
The No. 3 decide within the 1997 draft was traded by Boston in his first season and had already performed for 4 groups in his first 4 seasons.
There are a number of methods to get into the Corridor of Fame.
Billups has lastly discovered his place and can be part of Carter on Sunday because the headliner of the 13-member class that will likely be devoted to Springfield, Mass., not removed from the place his first NBA cease went so fallacious previous that some have referred to as it a fiasco.
Billups, now coach of the Portland Path Blazers, would not have modified a factor.
“It’s simply my journey,” Billups mentioned. “Everybody is completely completely different and I say that on a regular basis. From the time I used to be drafted to as we speak I am on this stage and this weekend was a tricky street for me .There wasn’t a lot site visitors on that street.
Lakers defensive ace Michael Cooper, Phoenix star Walter Davis and former Knicks champion Dick Barnett are the opposite NBA gamers within the class, with Seimone Augustus and Michele Timms coming from the WNBA. Jerry West enters as a contributor – his third induction being as a participant and with the 1960 U.S. Olympic crew – alongside Doug Collins and Pacers proprietor Herb Simon and coaches Bo Ryan and Harley Redin of school and Charles Smith of highschool. .
Auguste may have one eye elsewhere as she prepares for the ceremony. The Minnesota Lynx, the crew she helped win 4 WNBA championships, will play Sport 2 of the WNBA Finals in New York on Sunday afternoon.
“I acquired so many texts like, ‘We wished to be there,’” mentioned Augustus, who added that his response was, “Go on the market and get Sport 2 and hopefully win a championship .”
Billups lastly acquired one, the NBA Finals MVP when the Detroit Pistons gained the 2004 championship. He would make 5 All-Star groups with the Pistons and Denver Nuggets, however that was after a tough begin to his profession.
There have been the 51 video games in Boston earlier than a commerce to Toronto, with brief stints in Denver and Minnesota previous his arrival in Detroit. There have been questions on what sort of chief he was – or even when he was a frontrunner in any respect.
“It simply didn’t translate quick sufficient, however I by no means believed what they had been saying about me,” Billups mentioned. “I simply stored preventing, I stored giving up and it circled.”
Carter by no means had a hoop like Billups or Cooper — who gained 5 with the Lakers — however that wasn’t his primary motivation as he continued to play late in his profession, noting that among the groups he had joined weren’t severe contenders.
“I performed this recreation as a result of I find it irresistible and it wasn’t about chasing cash and, actually, it wasn’t about chasing rings,” Carter mentioned.
He had hoped to play 15 years within the NBA, however as soon as he acquired there, he mentioned he would play a number of extra years. He ended up changing into the one participant in league historical past to look in 4 completely different many years.
The one purpose the dunk contest championship wasn’t the undisputed spotlight of his profession is that he had yet another look later in 2000, when he flew over Frenchman Frédéric Weis for a grand slam whereas serving to america win an Olympic gold medal.
He had been contemplating his slam probability for years, staying up late to look at and file the All-Star Saturday night time. He was so excited in regards to the alternative that he handled it like an actual recreation day, taking his standard afternoon nap.
Then he delivered his message when it was time to carry out, saying he had by no means even tried the arm snap till that night time.
“Once I acquired this chance, I seemed within the stands and I used to be on one other degree when it comes to pleasure and hype for the time being,” Carter mentioned. “I felt just like the routine I had the night time earlier than wasn’t going to win and I took an opportunity, and we’re right here as we speak to speak in regards to the good as a result of it might have gone dangerous.”
