KEY POINTS

  • Carter is the first player to play across 4 decades in NBA
  • Earlier, he became 1st player to play 22 NBA seasons
  • He recently returned to Hawks with a new one-year contract

Atlanta Hawks' Vince Carter on Sunday became the first player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) to have played across four decades.

Carter, 42, achieved the special milestone during Hawks’ match against the Indiana Pacers, which the former won 116-111. Even though the Atlanta-based side won Sunday’s match, they continue to remain at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table with a record of 8-28.

The Hawks small forward made his debut in the 1990s and has featured in every decade since the 90s, 2010s and now the 2020s. The BBC summed up Carter’s history in an apt way. Carter, who has played against the legendary Michael Jordon, “made his debut when the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye.”

Giving further perspective to Carter’s achievement, a total of 36 current players in the NBA – including four of his teammates, were born after the veteran was first drafted. The four teammates are Bruno Fernando, Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Cam Reddish.

Vince Carter
Vince Carter is hoping to play one more season in the NBA before retiring. Here, Carter speaks during a press conference after being awarded the 2015-16 Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

“I'm just very thankful to still be around and competing at this level. I saw a picture of one of my team-mates by the name of Hakeem Olajuwon [who is now 56] and the other was Trae [Young, who is 21] and it's just like, man, as much as I talk to people and handshake with former friends who are now general managers, coaches, whatever they are, I can say I played against Michael Jordan and stuff like that and now I'm playing against the Trae Youngs and all the stars of today,” Carter told Yahoo Sports.

"I'm probably more competitive now because I know the end is near. I never imagined playing this long. I got to 15 years and I still felt good and here I am seven years later. It's an unbelievable feeling,” Carter further added.

In August, when Carter signed a year’s contract to return to the Hawks, he saw another history to his name. He became the first player to play 22 NBA seasons, surpassing the 21-season club comprising of Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis and Robert Parish.

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