Known to basketball fans as "Showtime," Toronto Raptors Forward/Guard Vince Carter is definitely showing his talent, both on and off the courts.
Vince Lamar Carter was born January 26th, 1977, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Both of Carter's parents worked in the Volusia County school, with father Harry working in the school system and mother Michelle being a teacher at the schools.
from baritone to basketball
Although he now stands at 6'7" and showed great basketball skills while in high school, Carter's interests went way beyond the basketball courts. While studying at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, he majored in drums and was a member of his high school's marching band, playing the baritone.
After graduating in 1995, Carter went off to study African American studies at North Carolina University. While in college, he received First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference and Second Team All-America honors in 1997 and 1998.
In 1998, Carter was selected fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA draft, the same year that he became a North Carolina University graduate.
Immediately after being chosen, Carter was traded to the Toronto Raptors for Antawn Jamison -- along with cash -- on a draft day trade.
he's in-vince-able
Toronto has a lot to thank Carter for; he has pulled their basketball franchise back up and has made the game of basketball exciting for the city of Toronto. Not to mention the fact that many of the team's victories can be attributed to Carter and his mid-air style.
In 1999, Carter won the title of Rookie of the Year with an outstanding 95.6% of the total vote. There was no denying him as top choice for receiving the honor, after averaging 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.54 blocks, and 1.10 steals for the Raptors that year.
Carter has been compared to fellow North Carolina graduate Michael Jordan, with his amazing dunking skills and unstoppable basket techniques. It's no wonder that Carter has earned the nicknames the "Dunking Defender," the "Human Highlight Film," and "Mr. Upside."
It's not only Carter's vertical leaps and astonishing moves on the courts that make him a star player; he shares his success with others that are less fortunate, by being extremely active in charitable causes.
Carter donated $10,000 to his high school alma mater to help fund the school's band and basketball programs (part of his prize money for being named Rookie of the Year).
He is also the founder of the Embassy of Hope Foundation, a non-profit children's organization aimed at helping children achieve their dreams. His mother is the foundation's Executive Director and his father is the treasurer.
it's showtime!
Carter may not have as many endorsements as Tiger Woods and Air Jordan, but he is well on his way, with product endorsements such as Gatorade, Kellogg's, Bell Canada, and more recently, Nike, among his major sponsorships.
After having breached his contract with Puma for walking away from the company, Carter was able to pay off his debt to Puma thanks to his multi-year, $30 million contract with Nike and wear his shoe, Nike Shox, in peace.
More of Carter's accomplishments include: winning the 2000 NBA.com Slam Dunk competition; being named NBA Player of the Week on the 21st of November, 1999; receiving the most votes for the 2000 All-Star team; and being named the new millennium's "Athlete of the Future" by ESPN Magazine.
After wowing the crowds and audiences during the 2001 Eastern Conference semifinals against the 76ers, namely Allen Iverson, Carter signed a 6-year contract extension worth approximately $94 million, with the Toronto Raptors.
It's clear that with Carter's dynamic dunking, acrobatic leaping skills, corporate endorsements, charitable actions, and down to earth attitude, he may be Raptor player #15, but as the team's number one star -- it's his time to shine.
