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The Memphis Grizzlies signed free agent Vince Carter to a multi-year contract, the team announced today. According to multiple reports, the deal is likely for three years, $12 million total.
Carter (6-6, 220) comes to Memphis with career averages of 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 34.2 minutes in 1,148 games (950 starts) over 16 seasons with the Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks. He owns career shooting percentages of .442 from the field, .378 from three-point range and .799 from the free throw line.
Among all-time NBA leaders, Carter ranks seventh in three-point field goals made (1,809), eighth in three-point field goals attempted (4,788), 20th in field goals attempted (19,045), 25th in points (23,190), 31st in minutes played (39,240), 46th in games played (1,148), 47th in free throws made (4,551), 49th in points per game (20.2) and 49th in free throw attempts (5,694).
An eight-time All-Star (2000-07), Carter was voted as a starter in seven seasons and was the league’s leading vote-getter four times. He was named to the 2000-01 All-NBA Second Team and the 2001-02 All-NBA Third Team and averaged at least 20 points per game for 10 consecutive seasons (1999-09). Carter also helped Team USA’s men’s national team capture the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
Last season, Carter averaged 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 24.4 minutes in 81 games (zero starts) for Dallas while shooting .407 from the field, .394 from three-point range and .821 from the free throw line. The 37-year-old led the league in three-pointers off the bench (146). Over the course of the season, he advanced from 11th place to 7th place on the NBA’s all-time three-point field goals made list, surpassing (in order) Steve Nash, Dale Ellis, Peja Stojakovic and Rashard Lewis. Carter also became the 27th player in NBA history to score 23,000 career points on March 16, 2014 at Oklahoma City and passed Adrian Dantley for 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list on April 12, 2014 vs. Phoenix.
Carter holds career postseason averages of 21.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 38.1 minutes in 67 playoff games (56 starts) with Toronto, New Jersey, Orlando and Dallas. During the 2014 NBA Playoffs, Carter recorded 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 27.1 minutes in helping eighth-seeded Dallas take the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs to seven games in the opening round. In Game 3 of that series, he connected on a buzzer-beating three-pointer from the corner to give the Mavericks a 109-108 victory at American Airlines Center.
Drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the first round (5th overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft after a three-year collegiate career at the University of North Carolina, Carter was named the 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year with Toronto. One of the most exciting and innovative dunkers in NBA history, Carter memorably won the Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend in 2000.
