Tag: VC

Draft Rewind: Warriors trade Vince Carter to Raptors for Antawn Jamison in 1998 First Round

After drafting Vince Carter with the No. 5 pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, the Warriors traded him to the Toronto Raptors for Antawn Jamison.

With draft night rapidly approaching, there’s still a cloud of mystery over what the Golden State Warriors will do when they’re on the clock with the No. 2 overall selection on Nov. 18.

Will Bob Myers and Steve Kerr trade the pick? Will the Warriors add to the frontcourt or find a player that can play behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson? Do they prioritize finding a player that can help them win now, or are they looking to the future? All questions that will play a role in the Golden State Warriors draft for 2020.

Before the Warriors ink the name of their future rookie on the draft card, Warriors Wire is rewinding through Golden State’s draft history to highlight some of the most memorable selections — trades, surprises, busts, sleepers and everything in between.

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In 1998, the Warriors triggered a blockbuster trade between two future All-Stars that would each play over 15 seasons in the NBA.

June 24, 1998

The Los Angeles Clippers started the 1998 NBA Draft by selecting center Michael Olowokandi out of Pacific University. The Vancouver Grizzlies followed by drafting Arizona’s Mike Bibby. Capping off the top three picks were the Denver Nuggets’ selection of Raef LaFrentz out of Kansas.

After a pair of teammates were selected with back-to-back picks at four and five, things got interesting. Shortly after the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors made their picks, the two teams swapped players. The Warriors traded North Carolina’s Vince Carter (the No. 5 pick) to the Toronto Raptors for his Tarheel teammate Antawn Jamison (the No. 4 pick).

Watch the moment the Warriors selected Carter via YouTube:

On his way to winning the Naismith and Wooden awards during his junior season at Chapel Hill, Jamison averaged 22.2 points on 57.9 shooting from the field with 10.5 rebounds per contest.

Jamison’s impressive play leaked into his rookie season with the Warriors. The forward earned a bid to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team, averaging 9.6 points on 45.2% shooting from the field with 6.4 rebounds per game.

During his career in the Bay Area, Jamison was able to record steady numbers. However, the team around him struggled. Jamison’s Warriors failed to reach the postseason over his six-season tenure.

Carter’s time with the franchise that traded for him started a little differently. After being named Rookie of the Year in 1998, it only took the “Half-Man/Half-Amazing” till his sophomore season to lead the Raptors to the playoffs.

In seven seasons with Toronto, Carter was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team six times. Once Jamison left the Bay Area, the former North Carolina product was able to reach the All-Star game twice with the Washington Wizards.

Despite their draft-day trade, the Tarheel duo went on to play long and successful careers in the association. Over his 16 season career, Jamison averaged 18.5 points on 45.1% shooting from the field with 7.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

Carter’s storied NBA career recently came to an end in the 2019-20 season. Over 22 seasons, “Vinsanity” averaged 16.7 points on 43.5% shooting with 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per contest.

Alongside Jamison and Carter, other notable members of the 1998 draft class included Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Jason Williams, Larry Hughes, Rashard Lewis and Al Harrington. Brad Miller and Earl Boykins highlighted undrafted free agents from the 1998 class.

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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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