Vince Carter, 40, Not Retiring Yet: Guard Says He Wants To Play Two More Seasons

Vince Carter may be 40 and have played in the NBA for nearly 20 seasons, but he is not yet ready to retire.

Vince Carter Wants To Play Two More Years in NBA

The Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard, who will become a free agent this summer, stated after his team was eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs from this year’s playoffs that he hopes to play for two more years.

“I said to myself ‘I want to play 15 years,'” Carter said, according to RealGM.com. I don’t know where I got that from. And then I got to 15 years and I kept going. I never capped it, but at the same time I’ve had a lot of players remind me of things I’ve said. I’m still saying ‘two more years and I’m done.'”

Many fans seemed to believe Carter, a former Toronto star who was drafted fifth overall by the Raptors in 1998, would be retiring alongside another first-round pick from that year, Los Angeles Clippers small forward Paul Pierce. 

Pierce, who was originally drafted tenth overall by the Boston Celtics and played with them from 1998-2013, played his final game in Los Angeles on Sunday, a Game 7 loss to the Utah Jazz that knocked the Clippers out of the first round of the playoffs.

After the Grizzlies fell to the Spurs in Game 6 in Memphis on Thursday to end their season, Carter — an eight-time All-Star — also told RealGM.com, “I could play three more rounds of basketball right now.”

Should Carter indeed play two more seasons, he would become the fifth-oldest NBA player ever at 42, behind Nat Hickey from the 1947-48 Providence Steam Rollers, Kevin Willis, Robert Parish and Dikembe Mutombo.

The All-Star has also played more games than al but 12 players in league history and ranks 22nd on the all-time scoring list.

Carter, a former rookie of the year, averaged 8.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 73 games last season.

Although he does not have an NBA Championship, Carter is happy with what he’s done thus far in his career.

“I hear people say all the time, ‘Go chase the ring.’  That word ‘chase’ is tough for me,” Carter said. “I’m comfortable here, my family is comfortable here, we’re building something exciting and great and I enjoy going to work with these guys every day.”

If Carter signs with another team for 2017-18, he would become the only other remaining member of the 1998 draft class besides Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki. The 38-year-old German stated he would play out the final year of the two-year, $50 million deal he signed last summer, barring “drastic changes” impeding him from playing next season, which Nowitzki says he doesn’t “anticipate.”

The Spurs’ Argentine shooting guard, Manu Ginobili, will also turn 40 later this year, as will Milwaukee Bucks guard Jason Terry, both members of the draft class of 1999.

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 16: Vince Carter #15 of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts to his three pointer during a 111-107 win over the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 16, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.