Oh those so many years ago, a lifetime in pro sports really, when Vince Carter would profess his desire to be more than a dunker, there were those who would roll their eyes.
His astonishing athleticism set him apart from all but a handful of basketball players. Yet he’d always find a way to sneak into a conversation that he wanted to have his overall ability truly appreciated, to be a player rather than an athlete.
Never mind those jaw-dropping moments — the Olympic dunk on Frederic Weis, a favourite of his own when he dunked on Dikembe Mutombo, a 360-degree baseline job in Indiana in about his second game in the NBA, one over Hakeem Olajuwon to win a Sunday afternoon game at the Air Canada Centre and the iconic Charles Oakley-lob-to-Carter that was the first basket scored in Toronto’s brand new building.