It’s An Honor To Play Against A Guy Like Vince, Says Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell paid homage to Vince Carter during his appearance in the 2018 Dunk contest, during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles by dooming the throwback Toronto Raptors jersey. Upon winning the slam dunk contest, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne asked Mitchell if Vince Carter was one of his favorite dunkers? In which he answered one of my favorites of all time. “Obviously I can’t jump as high as he did, but it was only right, and he has been dunking like crazy all year at his age. So, I thought it was only right to pay him a tribute”, said Mitchell.
Tonight the Utah Jazz were in town to face the Dallas Mavericks, and I had the chance to ask the second-year point guard how much longer did he think former Dallas Maverick Vince Carter could play in the NBA.
Mitchell jokingly said I hope he plays until I retire. “Man You look at a guy like Vince, who I’ve talked to on several incidences. It is so impressive the way he takes care of himself and doesn’t look as old as he is, which is very impressive. He continues to work and he is going to do great out there in Atlanta giving them guidance and also being a piece to that team. I hope this is not his last year because it’s just an honor to play against a guy like Vince.”
I follow up that question up by asking Mitchell if he thought Vince Carter was the modern day Warren Moon.
Mitchell is not a fan of football, so we will give him a pass on not knowing who Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon is, but he did reference former Major League Baseball legend Julio Franco, who played in the majors until he was 48 years old. Franco is 60 years old now and still wants to continue playing the game he loves.
Earlier this summer Brandon “Scoop B’ Robinson caught up with Mikki Moore, who was a teammate of Carter’s during their time in New Jersey.
“Vince could play football, baseball, and basketball right now if he wanted to,” Moore told Robinson
“Dude is talented at all three sports, no lie. I think Vince might be better at baseball than basketball. We did an event for the New York Yankees, and he was knocking the ball out of the park, just playing around. He and T-Mac are unbelievably athletic; it runs in their genes, I don’t understand it.”
T-Mac is a member of the 2017 Class of Hall Famers, and Carter cousin both were teammates for two seasons before T-Mac left and signed with the Magic in 2001.
The full conversation between Moore and Brandon Robinson can be seen here.
Landon Buford is an accomplished sports and entertainment journalist based in Richardson, Texas, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, WWE, MLB, and the entertainment industry. Known for delivering high-impact stories and headline-making interviews, Buford has earned a global audience through content that blends insider access with compelling storytelling.
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