Vince Carter NBA Swan Song With Hawks Influenced By Family Matters

Vince Carter is all set to play a record-breaking 22nd season in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks. At 42, most felt that the eight-time NBA All-Star would have been better off joining a contender. If not, playing for the Toronto Raptors seemed to make sense since it was the first ballclub he suited up for.

Instead, the 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year opted to remain with the Hawks, the same team he played for last season. According to Carter, his family played a key part in the decision rather than anywhere else. The 5th overall pick of the 1999 NBA Draft discussed this on the "Winging It Podcast" with Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Close to family. My daughter is now a high schooler so – I don’t talk about my daughter much but she is a high schooler and playing varsity. She is a freshman but she’s playing varsity volleyball so I get a chance to watch her. On off days, I’ll probably make that trip to Charlotte a couple of times to watch her play. It all makes sense. For me, I just want it to make sense. If there was a great opportunity elsewhere, I definitely would look into it but I just wanted it all to fit. When you are going into your last year, you just want it to be a smooth ride, for everyone really,” he said.

In a way, Carter's reason does make sense. The Hawks are a team he is familiar with although the type of playing time he will get remains to be seen. It also allows him to be closer to his daughters and keep tabs on their progress in their respective sports journeys. In a way, it seems like he is planting seeds of adjustment once he does retire, easing the transition which some professional players find a hard time adjusting to.

One thing missing from Carter's resume is an NBA title. He holds low chances of attaining that, seeing how Atlanta seems to be on rebuild mode. Of course, there is a chance he could still get traded somewhere during the 2019-20 NBA season - hopefully to a contender. If not, ending his NBA career with the Raptors would be fitting. This scenario was discussed in a previous post.