INDIANAPOLIS — Vince Carter has one more slam dunk in his future:
Being elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Carter is one of 14 finalists for the Hall to be announced on Friday during NBA All-Star Weekend. The class of 2024 will be announced in April during the weekend of the NCAA Final Four.
“Unbelievable,” Carter said of being nominated. “You look in the crowd, you see Hall of Famers, and the opportunity… I mean, you can’t beat that. You can’t beat that. It’s a proud moment.”
Carter may be known for his high-flying dunks, but he had an impressive career beyond that as an eight-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA player and the 1999 Rookie of the Year. Carter’s highs are incredible — he has a Gold Medal from the 2000 Olympics — but don’t sleep on his longevity, he is the only player to ever play in four decades. Carter averaged 16.7 points per game (21.3 as a starter).
Carter is a lock for the Hall of Fame.
Other candidates nominated this year include:
• Chauncey Billups. “Mr. Big Shot” is the 2004 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star, a three-time All-NBA player, and a two-time All-Defensive Team member. Over a 17-year career, he averaged 15.2 points and 5.4 assists per game and is now the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.
• Michael Cooper. The defensive stopper of the Showtime Lakers, Cooper is a five-time NBA champion who was voted Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and was an eight-time All-Time Defensive Team player. After playing he coached the WNBA Los Angles Sparks to back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, and he was that league’s coach of the Year in 2000.
• Walter Davis. A six-time All-Star, Davis remains the leading scorer in Phoenix Suns history. He averaged 24.2 points per game in his rookie season and won Rookie of the Year. The Suns retired his number in 2004. Before getting to the NBA he won a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics
• Bo Ryan. Ryan went 747-233 (.762) in 32 seasons as a collegiate head coach with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (1984-89), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1999-2001) and University of Wisconsin (2001-15), including a 364-130 (.737) ledger in 14-plus seasons in Madison.
• Charles Smith. Smith is Louisiana’s all-time winningest high school head coach, surpassing the previous mark of 1,071 in 2020, and he has eight state championships to his name.
Other nominees are:
Women’s Committee Finalists: Seimone Augustus, Marian Washington
Men’s Veteran Committee Finalist: Dick Barnett
Women’s Veteran Committee Finalist: Harley Redin
International Committee Finalist: Michele Timms
Contributors Committee Finalists: Doug Collins, Herb Simon, Jerry West
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