VIDEO: Celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Vince Carter Telling Us it's Over at the 2000 Dunk Contest
By Sam Dunn
Vince Carter redefined what was possible above the rim. You could leave a dollar on top of the backboard and he'd make change. But most of all, he was the first guy to make it cool (or even acceptable, at the very the least) to walk around in a Toronto Raptors jersey. And if there was one defining moment that set it all in motion, it was the Slam Dunk Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend in 2000. He put on a rip-roaring show at Oracle Arena against cousin Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis, following up a swaggering honey-dipper with a breathtaking under-the-leg offering that instantly became the stuff of basketball immortality. And Vince had one simple declaration afterward.
#OTD in 2000 @mrvincecarter15 had one of the best #NBAAllStar Dunk Contest performances in NBA history! ? pic.twitter.com/Nu7jDOJhby
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 12, 2020
It's over. And Kenny Smith knew it, too.
Perhaps the only thing more downright bananas than the dunk itself? The fact that Vince is still playing right freakin' now at age 43.
On this date in 2000 – Vince Carter wins the Slam Dunk Contest, scoring 98/100 in the finals to beat fellow finalists Steve Francis and Tracy McGrady. pic.twitter.com/zeyFDYQ880
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 12, 2020
Yeah. What have you accomplished today?