Vince Carter: I’m A Better Dunker Than Dwight Howard
July 9, 2009 – 10:15 am by Tas Melas
On a personal note, I moved last week. While cleaning out the dust bunnies underneath my bed, I came across some stashed posters. One was the classic Muhammad Ali over Sonny Liston, and another was Vince Carter ready to throw down a reverse 360 in the 2000 slam dunk contest. Best dunker of all-time? One can easily make a case for it. As much as I’ve got a little hatred for VC inside of me (being from Toronto), I can’t throw that poster away. He meant something to this city and he is just such a special athlete. Looking at him now, he’s 32, and he’s come full circle in his career. From just a dunker, to being ‘The Man’ on good teams, to being a leader on a young team, to being a trusty sidekick on the Orlando Magic. Will playing in his hometown rejuvenate him a little bit? I know he’s been good lately, but this is Vince Carter – he can be better. Carter joined The Dan Patrick Show to discuss the worst part of playing at home, his talk with Dwight regarding dunking, and the conversations he’s had with Stan Van Gundy and Otis Smith confirming his role with the Magic.
Are the Magic a better team with you on it?
“I like to believe so – they put a lot of trust in me. I sat and had a great conversation with Stan (Van Gundy) yesterday, as well as Otis (Smith), just to see, I wanted to see what they expected of me. It was great to hear that it was no different than what my role has been anywhere else. I had a short conversation with Dwight (Howard) as well, who has always been a friend of mine, as well as Jameer (Nelson) already… Like, I told them, I said, ‘You guys were so close with a great team and I’m hoping that I can just get us over the hump.”
What’s the worst part of playing in your hometown?
“Ticket requests. (Host: How many so far?) Well, I’m not taking any. Funny story – I told them I’m not getting tickets this year. So, they’re all like, ‘Wow, really?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, my mom’s buying her own,’ I said, ‘I can get you the number to the ticket sales guy, I know him. We’ll take care of you that way, but I’m not getting any tickets this year.”
Who’s a better dunker: You or Dwight?
“I’m still better, he knows it. I told him already, just yesterday as a matter of fact. (Host: What do you do better than what he does?) I did that in high school. (Host: What did he say when you told him that you’re still the best dunker on the team?) He was like, ‘Oh, okay.’ I mean, he really couldn’t say much ’cause I was like, ‘You’re 23.’ Like, I did that when I was 23, 10 years ago. (Host: How many 7-footers has Dwight jumped over?) Zero. I said, ‘I jumped over guys your height.”
Listen to Vince Carter on The Dan Patrick Show
Tags: Basketball, NBA, Orlando Magic, Vince Carter
