Vince Carter says he will return for his record 22nd NBA season

Micah Adams

Vince Carter says he will return for his record 22nd NBA season image

On the latest episode of "Winging It", a podcast hosted by Vince Carter, Kent Bazemore and Annie Finberg on the Ringer Podcast Network, Carter relayed that he intends on playing next season.

As part of a conversation about Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki each of whom just finished their final seasons, Carter said "Yeah, I'm coming back".

Should he return to the Hawks or sign with another team (Carter is an unrestricted free agent), he would become the first player in NBA history to play 22 seasons.

As it stands, Carter is one of five players to play 21 seasons in the NBA. The others are Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Robert Parish and Kevin Willis.

Last season was a memorable one for Carter who scored his 25,000th career point and moved into the top 20 on the NBA's all-time scoring list, passing Hall of Famers Jerry West and Reggie Miller.

The 42-year old Carter played in 76 games last season for the Atlanta Hawks, averaging 17.5 minutes per game. The Hawks were his third team in three seasons after spending 2017-18 with the Sacramento Kings after spending the previous three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The eight-time All-Star has played for eight different franchises. Drafted fifth overall in 1998 by the Golden State Warriors, Carter was part of a draft-day trade featuring college teammate Antawn Jamison that sent him to Toronto. It was with the Raptors that Carter became a star, leading the team to its first ever playoff appearances while becoming one of the NBA's most entertaining players.

 

Micah Adams

Micah Adams Photo

Micah Adams is a Managing Editor and Head of Affiliate and Commercial Content at Sporting News. Prior to joining SN in 2021, Adams spent over a decade producing and leading content teams at ESPN, DAZN and The Social Institute. Adams graduated from Duke University in 2009 and remains a Cameron Crazie at heart well into his 30s. When not losing sleep or hair over the Blue Devils, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bulls, and USMNT, Adams enjoys chasing his two small children around along with his wife, losing golf balls, spending time outdoors and binging terrible movies.