Vince Carter Defies Age to Drop 20 Points at Age 40
Memphis Grizzlies swingman Vince Carter recorded a team-high 24 points on a perfect 8-for-8 from the field during Monday's 113-93 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. In doing so, he joined a rare club of NBA greats aged 40 or older to score 20 points in a game, per NBA History.
Carter—who's averaging 8.0 points per game on 39.3 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from beyond the arc this season—placed his name alongside the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Parish, Michael Jordan, John Stockton and Karl Malone when he caught fire against Milwaukee.
The veteran, known for his high-flying abilities early in his career, boasts a career average of 18.3 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting. Carter currently ranks 23rd on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 24,441 career points but sits only 64 points behind Ray Allen for the 22nd spot, per Basketball Reference.
The Bucks are coached by Carter's former teammate, Jason Kidd, with whom he shared a 49-win season on the New Jersey Nets during the 2005-06 season. The two earned a playoff bid together but ultimately lost to a Miami Heat club—led by Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal—in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Carter, aptly nicknamed Half-Man Half-Amazing, earned 1998-99 Rookie of the Year honors and has been selected to eight All-Star teams in addition to two All-NBA teams throughout his nearly 20-year career.
Though he hasn't averaged double-digit points since 2013-14 with the Dallas Mavericks, Carter has played a large role in the Grizzlies' success in his nearly three years with the team. He currently averages 23.7 minutes per game but could see an increased workload moving forward due to teammate Chandler Parsons' potentially season-ending injury. Memphis currently places seventh in the Western Conference and is on pace to make the playoffs for a seventh straight season.
