Steph Curry thanks Vince Carter for ‘changing the game’ in tribute message

After 22-years in the NBA, Vince Carter is officially retiring. In a tribute message, Steph Curry thanked Carter for “changing the game.”

After 22 years in the association, Vince Carter is hanging up his uniform for the last time — the 43-year-old has officially retired. Before the Orlando Bubble opens up for the NBA’s restart next week, former players, teammates and current stars shared messages for Carter in a special tribute video.

Tracy McGrady, Mike Conley Jr., Jayson Tatum, Jason Kidd, Trae Young and others joined the video to congratulate Carter on his retirement. Following the emotional goodbye, Carter reflected on the tribute and his career on TNT’s “The Arena.”

Via The Arena:

To learn that you’ve impacted so many players in the league is wowing to me, to see all those guys, J-Kidd and T-Mac and all these guys who were teammates of mine— to hear their testimonies and share their kind words is — Can’t beat it, man.

My love for the game — I want to believe it speaks for itself and that’s the legacy I want. Some people tout me as the greatest dunker, and I’m very appreciative of that. But with that — I want them to say ‘man, he played in his 40s and he must love the game.’

Another player Carter left a mark on is Stephen Curry. The Golden State Warriors point guard went to Twitter to pay tribute to the eight-time All-Star. Curry thanked Carter for “changing the game.”

Via @StephenCurry30 on Twitter:

Although they were never teammates, the pairing of Curry and Carter share a storied history. As a young player with the Toronto Raptors, Carter played alongside Dell Curry with the future two-time MVP watching from the sidelines.

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Over 22 seasons, Carter played for eight teams, averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Carter capped off his career with the Atlanta Hawks in 2019-20.

“Vinsanity’s” final contest took place on March 11 against the New York Knicks. In 12 minutes, Carter tallied five points and a rebound. Putting a bow on his career, the North Carolina Tarheel product drilled a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the game.

Via @SportsCenter on Twitter:

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