Vince Carter becomes first player in NBA history to play in four different decades

Vince Carter is definitely one of the best basketball players in the past few decades. Seen as a future shoo-in for the Basketball Hall of Fame, Carter is an eight-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year awardee, and a Slam Dunk champion. Drafted in 1998, he is the last active NBA player who started playing before the turn of the century. He has been compared to legends such as Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, and Michael Jordan. When he checked in to play against the Indiana Pacers for the Atlanta Hawks last Saturday night, he became the first and only player in the NBA who played in four different decades.

Carter could have made the milestone Friday night, in their game against the Boston Celtics. However, Hawks management decided to do it at home and enjoy the moment with home-court fans. Coming in off the bench midway in the first quarter, He received a thunderous standing ovation.

Carter's explosive scoring was a pleasure to watch over the years. Today, he is far from the high-flying slam dunk champion that he once was. But, Carter was never just about that. He can shoot at a distance too. A career 37% three-point shooter, there are seasons where he shot up to 40% from beyond the arc, that's not stellar, but that's not shabby either. It's enough to be considered a legitimate threat by any opposing team.

In the game against the Pacers, Carter logged 18 minutes, scored 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist. There was a time when he averaged over 27 points per game, and he scored 18.3 points a game during his rookie year. Age catches up with everyone, and according to CBS Sports, this will be his last year in the NBA.

If he does retire this season, he will fall short in all-time number of games played. He currently ranks fourth with 1,509. He should be able to get past Dirk Nowitzki with 1,522 this season, but he would need at least one more season to beat Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has 1,560 in his tally, and another season more to beat league leader Robert Parish at 1,611 games.

Carter played for either different teams. He started with the then Canadian expansion team, Toronto Raptors, and replaced Damon Stoudamire as their main man. He stayed in the NBA long enough to see the Raptors win their first NBA championship last season.