Age is often tough on NBA players, and especially on athletic wings that rely on their quickness, but Vince Carter continues to have moments that defy the clock. The 39-year-old Memphis Grizzlies’ guard had a particularly special one Wednesday night against his first team, the Toronto Raptors.
Just a day before his 40th birthday, Carter proved he still has impressive moves with this drive, spin and 360-degree layup:
That’s just ridiculous, and not the highlight you expect to see from a 39-year-old player. (Heck, there aren’t too many players still competing at 39.) Carter clearly still has his touch, though, and he still has pretty good moves. He’s been a regular highlight presence this year and last despite his age.
Of course, age does have its effects. Carter is only averaging 23.8 minutes per game this year, a huge ways below the 37.5 he averaged in his first seven NBA seasons in Toronto, and his rate totals have declined as well (from 22.4 points per 36 minutes over those seasons with the Raptors to 12.4 this year). His minutes are actually up over the last two years with Memphis, too, where he averaged 16.5 and 16.8 per game. He’s become more of a complementary player over the years rather than the superstar we saw in his early years. Carter is still quite effective in limited doses, though, and this certainly showed that he still has some great moves. This layup was really impressive, especially considering how it came a day before his 40th birthday and against a team he has so much history with.