The winners of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for 2024 have been revealed. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of Hall of Fame inductees selected by six committees on the 7th (Korea Standard Time). A total of 13 people were listed on the list, and the North American Commission selected Chen Shih Billups, Vince Carter, Michael Cooper, Walter Davis, Bo Ryan, and Charles Smith as the inductees.
Vince Carter (47, 198 centimeters) stands out the most from the Korean fans' point of view. Nicknamed Air Canada, he was a superstar of his time and was loved for his outstanding skills and stellar play. Although he was beaten due to injury, he was called Michael Jordan's successor in the early days of his career. He is also the only player in the history of the NBA who played four teenage years from 1998 to 2020.
It is true that Carter is such an outstanding player that he will surely go down in history. However, it is true that the expectations were so high that it is regrettable compared to the expectations. Given his name, his award-winning career is truly humble. However, he left a clear mark on his name, and is nothing short of a dunker. He was considered as the man who performed art in the air, and he had a reputation as the best dunker in history.
Carter was selected as the starting member of the East squad for the All-Star Game in his second year of the season, and was crowned the Slam Dunk Champion that year. He was not just a champion. He was the one who revived the Slam Dunk Contest, which had an enormous impact. He displayed a variety of dunks, creating a new sensation in the contest.
When it comes to dunk contests, Jordan vs. Wilkins in 1988 and Aaron Gordon vs. Jack Lavigne in 2016 are famous. The difference is that while the former had two strong players competing, Carter was so unrivaled when it came to dunking that he didn't even have a rival. As soon as he first came out, he scored a 360-degree reverse windmill dunk, which was followed by commentator and referee Kenny Smith who gave him a perfect score of 10, chanting, "Let's go home! Let's go home, ladies and gentlemen!"
Of course, he got a perfect score of 50. In the second attempt, he dunked a windmill while running from outside the baseline, and scored 49 points. After confirming his advance to the finals, Carter attempts his third dunk of the preliminary round, which is still considered one of the best dunks ever.
Colleague Tracy McGrady bounces the ball, takes an alley-oop pass from mid-air, spins it between her legs, and dunks it in. A moment of silence lingered in the stadium over the ridiculous performance, and soon it was covered in shouts. Kenny Smith, who gave nine points in the second dunk, gives 10 points as soon as he sees the dunk, with a comment saying, "It's over! It's over!"
In the final, he displayed honeydips (dunking and putting elbows in the rim) and two-handed dunks in front of free throw line backlash, confirming his victory. His opponents Steve Francis and McGrady also displayed impressive dunks. Considering Francis' tremendous jumping ability and McGrady's technique, both players were so good that it would not be strange to win the title in any given year.
Both of them were buried because Carter was there. He thus displayed the most terrifying one-man show ever. Of course, it is no longer unique in terms of difficulty, unlike then. Nevertheless, analysts say that Carter = dunk shot had the biggest influence on his unique coolness.
In addition to the long-sleeved windmill trajectory, his impact at the moment of dunking and elegant aerial movements are making his dunk into a luxury dunk that cannot be erased over time. Carter is called the best dunker of all time along with prominent legends such as Michael Jordan, Dominic Wilkins, and Julius Erving. It is not an exaggeration to say that most of them support Carter when it comes to purely dunk shots.
As a person with the ability to dunk the ball wherever he wanted, his various aerial movements impressed the fans who watched him feel embarrassed. He had jumping ability, instantaneous judgment, and concentration, so he could attack in any position in the air. In particular, he frequently tried rim attack because he had good athletic ability and ball handling, and his success rate was high.
The fact that the master of aerial warfare dribbled low and broke through the basket itself seemed like a disaster for the opposing team. Shooting ability is also a must. If Carter was good at rim attack, he would not have been able to survive in the league for a long time. Carter had consistent shooting touch since he was a rookie.
This was another major weapon after physical ability deteriorated due to injury and aging. He also observed fadeaway shots that changed positions at any time despite constantly aiming for the rim through post-up and face-up, long-range jumpers that shoot without hesitation if there is a little gap, and three-point shots. He also made good use of spin moves,
Compared to the early days of his stellar career, Carter continued a turbulent career. In particular, his long run is one of his best pride. Contrary to expectations that his injuries will continue large and small, he survived the league for a long time enough to be considered as long as ever. In fact, as he played for a long time, Carter has many records related to long runs, including his career games, playing time, and the oldest 20 points. Unlike his image, he is ranked among the top 10 in the three-point shooting list.
