• Denton: Carter Finally With a Championship Contender

  NBA - Found 2 hours ago ... against the rival Boston Celtics, Vince Carter was quizzed about the last time he played in a game that meant this much. Carter scrunched up...

• TORONTO - Nearly five years after leaving Toronto, Vince Carter is ...

  Sympatico - Found 10 hours ago Carter said he doesn't know why he's still portrayed as the bad guy in Toronto. 'I don't know why they are booing me to be honest,' Carter... Magics Carter Finds His Footing at Halftime - New York Times N.B.A. Roundup: Magic?s Carter Finds His Footing at Halftime - New York Times Carter, Magic roll past Raptors, soar to fifth straight victory - USA Today Carter Scores 24 as Magic Beat Raptors 104-96 - International Herald Tribune Explore All

  NewsChannel 9 WSYR

• Game review: Magic (11-3) 104, Raptors (6-8) 96

  Orlando Magic Blog - Found 12 hours ago Vince Carter returned to where he started his pro career and led all scorers with 24 points and four other Magic players scored in double figures as

• Orlando Magic 83, Boston Celtics 78

  Orlando Magic - Found Nov. 21, 2009 Vince Carter led the way for the Magic last night with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocked shots.

• Carter's 26 lead Magic over struggling Celtics

  ESPN - Found Nov. 20, 2009 Vince Carter scored 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, including a tiebreaking fadeaway jumper with 2:33 left to give Orlando an 83-78 Carter Soars, Lifting Magic Over the Celtics - New York Times Carter, Magic make statement vs. Celtics - MSNBC Carter leads Magic over Celtics - USA Today Orlando win streak at 4 - CBSSports Explore All

  Sympatico

• Bobcats' Henderson dealing with rookie life

  Philadelphia Daily News - Found Nov. 19, 2009 I don't mean to go out on a limb with a comparison, but he has some Vince Carter qualities athletically." Coming into last night's game... Bobcats' Henderson dealing with rookie life - Philadelphia Inquirer Bobcats' Henderson dealing with rookie life - Philly.com Explore All

• Lewis' Near Triple-Double Leads Magic Over Thunder

  International Herald Tribune - Found Nov. 18, 2009 Nelson is expected to miss four to six weeks.Vince Carter added 18 points and Dwight Howard had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who... Thunder vs. Magic - NBA Lewis nears triple-double as Magic roll - New York Post NBA: Orlando 108, Oklahoma City 94 - UPI Lewis barely misses triple-double as Magic pound Thunder - Sports Network Explore All

  NewsChannel 9 WSYR

• No Wins but Plenty of Giveaways for Nets Fans

  New York Times - Found Nov. 18, 2009 ... the club in 2004. After years of punishing financial losses in New Jersey, he has been jettisoning stars like Jason Kidd and Vince Carter. No Wins but Plenty of Giveaways for Nets Fans - International Herald Tribune Explore All

• Magic defeat Bobcats in Jackson's debut

  TSN - Found Nov. 17, 2009 Jameer Nelson led the way with 16 points, Vince Carter added 15 and reserve Ryan Anderson netted 12. Mickael Pietrus and Brandon Bass each... Warriors Grant Jackson His 'Golden' Ticket Out - International Herald Tribune Warriors Acquire Bell & Radmanovic From Charlotte - NBA NBA: Orlando 97, Charlotte 91 - UPI Warriors trade disgruntled forward Jackson to Bobcats - Reuters via Yahoo! Explore All

  TSN

• Magic's Nelson to Have Surgery on Left Knee

  International Herald Tribune - Found Nov. 17, 2009 Vince Carter and forwards Ryan Anderson, Mickael Pietrus and Brandon Bass all have missed time with injuries, and backup center Marcin Gortat... Knee surgery to sideline Magic's Nelson for 4-6 weeks - USA Today Magic's Nelson to have knee surgery, miss 4-6 weeks - CBSSports Magic's Nelson to have surgery on left knee - MSNBC Magic PG Nelson to have surgery on left knee - ESPN.com Explore All

  CBC North

Vince Carter

Orlando Magic  – No. 15
Guard/Forward
Born	January 26, 1977 (1977-01-26) (age 32) Daytona Beach, Florida
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Salary	$16,123,2501
College	North Carolina
Draft	5th overall, 1998 Golden State Warriors
Pro career	1998–present
Former teams	Toronto Raptors (1998–2004) New Jersey Nets (2004–2009)
Awards	8-time All-Star 2-time All-NBA Selection 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Champion 2000 Olympic Gold medalist

Vincent Lamar Carter (born January 26, 1977), better known as Vince Carter, is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently a shooting guard/small forward for the Orlando Magic.

Born in Daytona Beach, Florida, Carter was a McDonald's All-American basketball player in 1995, out of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach.² After high school, he spent three seasons playing basketball at the University of North Carolina, before entering the 1998 NBA Draft. He won the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, in which he competed alongside his third cousin and then-teammate, Tracy McGrady.³ He became the third player to lead the NBA All-Star Game fan voting three or more times, after Michael Jordan and Julius Erving,⁴ and helped lead the Toronto Raptors to three consecutive playoff appearances. In 2004, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets. In 2009, Carter, along with Ryan Anderson, was traded to the Orlando Magic.

Collegiate career

In 1995, Carter began playing college basketball at North Carolina under Dean Smith and later, Bill Guthridge. During the 1997–1998 season, he was a member of new coach Guthridge's successful "Six Starters" rotation with Antawn Jamison, Shammond Williams, Ed Cota, Ademola Okulaja and Makhtar N'diaye. That season (his final college season), he averaged 15.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game to go along with career averages of 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.⁵

Carter also became a pioneer of the internet during his collegiate career. In 1995, Carter became the second collegiate athlete, after teammate Shammond Williams, to have a website dedicated to him.⁶

NBA career

Toronto Raptors (1998–2004)

In 1998, Carter was drafted by the NBA's Golden State Warriors with the fifth overall pick, and then traded to the Toronto Raptors for the fourth overall pick, Antawn Jamison, his college teammate and good friend.⁷ His first agent was National Football League super agent William "Tank" Black who was later sent to prison in connection with money laundering and other charges. Carter's rookie season was the shortened 50-game 1999 season, after the NBA locked out its players in 1998–99. Carter started almost every game for coach Butch Carter, averaged 18.3 points per game (ppg), and eventually won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.⁸ The next year, Carter was selected to an All-Star Team for the first time, averaged 25.7 ppg, made the Third Team All-NBA, and showcased his athleticism and dunking abilities in the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He won the contest by performing an array of dunks including a 360° windmill, a between the legs bounce dunk, and an "elbow in the rim" dunk (also known as a "cookie jar" dunk or the "honey dip").⁷ Though he never competed in the dunk contest again for safety purposes, Carter was voted into the Eastern Conference NBA All-Star Team starting lineup several times through fan balloting.⁹

In Carter's first two seasons, he and his distant cousin Tracy McGrady formed a formidable one-two punch as Raptor teammates. The two led the Raptors to their first playoff berth in the 2000 NBA Playoffs, but they were swept in the first round by the New York Knicks, in 3 games. Upon McGrady's departure to the Orlando Magic the following season, Carter became the Raptors' franchise player.

In 2000–01, his third season, Carter averaged a career-high 27.6 ppg, made the Second Team All-NBA, and was voted in as a starter in the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, while the Raptors finished the regular season with a franchise-record 47 wins. In the playoffs, the Raptors beat the New York Knicks 3–2 in the first round, and advanced to the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals, where they took the Philadelphia 76ers to a decisive seventh game. On the morning of the day of Game 7, May 20, 2001, Carter attended his university graduation.¹⁰ In that game, Carter missed a game-winning shot with 2.0 seconds remaining,¹¹ and afterwards, he was criticized for his decision to attend his graduation by media and fans.

In the summer of 2001, Carter signed a $94 million, six-year extension with the Raptors.¹² In addition, Carter announced that he would be hosting a charity basketball game featuring fellow NBA stars that would be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on August 3, 2001. The success of the first game encouraged Carter to make the game an annual summer event.

The next season was an injury-riddled one for Carter. He started in 60 games and he averaged 24.7 ppg. He was voted into the 2002 NBA All-Star Game, but he could not participate due to injury. The Raptors did not fare well without their All-Star player. The team lost 17 of 18 games to drop to 30–38, then won 12 of their last 14 to finish at 42–40. Carter was injured during the 2002 NBA Playoffs, and his team was defeated in the first round by the Detroit Pistons, in 5 games.

During the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as a sign of respect, Carter gave up his starting All-Star spot to the Washington Wizards' Michael Jordan to allow Jordan to make his final start as an All-Star.¹³

During his Raptors tenure, Carter developed jumper's knee¹⁴ in his left knee. During the 2004 off-season, Carter became frustrated with the Raptors' management team for their plan to rebuild. During his last 2004–05 season, Carter posted a career-low 15.9 ppg on reduced minutes as new coach Sam Mitchell expressed his desire to use the bench more,¹⁵ before his eventual trade.

New Jersey Nets (2004–2009)

Carter made it clear in the 2004 off-season that he wanted to be on a contender but was unclear in his response, when asked by the media if he wanted to be traded. On December 17, 2004, Raptors General Manager Rob Babcock traded Carter to the New Jersey Nets for Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams and two future first-round draft picks.

In early January 2005, he stated during a television interview with TNT's John Thompson that he could not rely on raw talent anymore as he aged, "In years past, no. I was fortunate to have the talent. You get spoiled when you're able to do a lot of things. You see that you don't have to work at it."¹⁶ Though Carter's comments were perceived by Raptors fans as his confession to not giving his all as a Raptor,¹⁷ Thompson said the comments were misinterpreted, saying, "That boy never said to me, 'Coach, I just laid down and quit.' ...I was embarrassed and felt awful about it for his sake, because I knew what he was communicating to me. I think he was more expressing a desire of wanting to do better, as we all do."Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag.

Carter guided the Nets to an eighth seed in the 2005 NBA Playoffs.¹⁸ Although New Jersey was swept in the first round by the Miami Heat,¹⁹ Carter finished the series with averages of 26.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists;¹⁵ highlighted by a buzzer-beating two-point fadeaway shot in the first overtime of Game 3 that forced a second overtime.²⁰

Carter returned to Toronto on January 8, 2006 for the third time since his trade to the New Jersey Nets, and was given the same treatment by the fans that he received the first time he played against the Raptors in the Air Canada Centre.²¹ With the Nets trailing 104–102, Carter hit the winning three-point shot with 0.1 seconds left on the game clock and finished with 42 points and 10 rebounds. Carter considers this winning shot as his greatest ever, considering the atmosphere, the emotion and the hostility in the arena.²²

In the 2005–06 NBA season, he co-led the Nets to 49 wins, an Atlantic Division title, and the number three seed in the playoffs, while averaging 24.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. He led the Nets to the second round of the playoffs before losing to the eventual NBA champions Miami Heat in five games. Carter averaged 29.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 11 playoff games.

Vince Carter during the 2005-2006 season.

On February 1, 2007, Carter was named, along with teammate Jason Kidd, as a reserve to the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, after losing out on a starting spot to Gilbert Arenas by 3,010 votes.²³ Both Carter and Kidd made their eighth All-Star game appearance.²⁴

In a 120–114 overtime win over the Washington Wizards, April 7, 2007, Carter and Jason Kidd became the first teammates in over 18 years to record triple-doubles in the same game since the Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen achieved this feat against the Los Angeles Clippers in 1989. Carter finished with 46 points, a career-high 16 rebounds, and 10 assists. Kidd finished with 10 points, tied a career-high with 16 rebounds, and tied a season-high with 18 assists. Carter's triple double is the second highest total for a triple double, second only to Alvan Adams of the Phoenix Suns who tallied 47 points and 18 rebounds over 30 years ago.²⁵

After the Nets were eliminated from the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers (lost series 4–2), rumors of the Nets trading Carter again arose. After the New York Knicks and Nets discussed a trade around February of Carter (which was ended with the trading deadline), the two teams again revisited the subject. Carter, who opted out of his contract on June 30, reportedly wanted a three-year, $60 million deal however, which the Knicks were wary of. On July 1, 2007 Carter signed a 4-year, $61.8 million contract with the Nets.²⁶

On January 24, 2008, the Nets played on the road against the Golden State Warriors. The game was broadcast on TNT, and at the half-time show, Magic Johnson claimed that Carter's game was on the decline due to chronic injuries to his knees.²⁷ This was proven to be unfounded as Carter had hurt his ankle in an October game against the Boston Celtics which would hinder him throughout the 2007–2008 season. Hampered by injuries, Carter was not named as one of the reserves for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game.²⁸ This marked the first time in his NBA career Carter was not named as an All-Star since his rookie season, when the game was canceled due to the NBA lockout. Despite playing with an ankle injury, Carter finished the season strong with averages of 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists after the All-Star break.²⁹ He was one of only three NBA players, along with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, to average at least 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for the year, with averages of 21.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He led the Nets in freethrow percentage, assists and steals per game (81.6%, 5.1, 1.2).³⁰ Rod Thorn credited Carter for becoming a leader since the All-Star break, and said he believed that Carter could lead the Nets back to the playoffs the following year.³¹ Carter's injury was confirmed after undergoing a successful arthroscopic ankle surgery in the off-season.³²

For the 2008–09 season, Carter was voted team captain, a title that had been given to Jason Kidd for the previous 6 years.³³ On November 21, 2008, in a return to Air Canada Centre to play the Toronto Raptors, Carter scored 39 points in a 129–127 overtime win. After making a three to send the game into overtime, he scored the winning basket, a reverse dunk off an inbounds pass from Bobby Simmons, with 2.1 seconds left.³⁴

Orlando Magic (2009–present)

On June 25, 2009, the day of the NBA Draft, Carter was traded to the Orlando Magic with Ryan Anderson for Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee.³⁵

Carter's Orlando Magic regular season debut was on October 28, 2009 against the Philadelphia 76ers in Orlando. He recorded 15 points and 2 assists and went on to help the Magic defeat the Sixers.

2000 Summer Olympics

During the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Carter performed a memorable dunk when he flew over 7-foot-2 (2.18 m) French center Frédéric Weis. Carter stole the ball, sprinted, took off—legs spread in midair, and hit Weis's head as he bent over to avoid the collision, before slamming the ball. Teammate Jason Kidd said it was "One of the best plays I've ever seen." The French media later dubbed it "le dunk de la mort" ("the Dunk of Death").³⁶ The U.S. team went on to win the gold medal that year.

Awards and achievements

• 8-time NBA All-Star selection: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 (did not play in 2002 due to injury)
• 2-time All-NBA:
  • Second Team: 2001
  • Third Team: 2000
• NBA Slam Dunk Champion: 2000
• NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1999
• NBA Rookie of the Year Award: 1999
• The Sporting News NBA Rookie of the Year: 1999³⁷

NBA playoff records

• Co-holds NBA playoff record for most three-point field goals made in one game with 9 (May 11, 2001 vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Eastern Conference Semifinals)
• Holds NBA playoff record for most three-point field goals made in one half with 8 (same game as above)
• Holds NBA playoff record for most consecutive three-point field goals made in one game with 8 (same game as above)
• Holds NBA playoff record for most consecutive three-point field goals made in one half with 8 (same game as above)³⁸

New Jersey Nets franchise records

• Holds for most three-point field goals made in one game with 9 (December 11, 2006 vs. Memphis Grizzlies)
• Holds for most points scored in one season with 2,070 (2006–07)
• Holds for most consecutive 20 or more point games with 23 (2005–06).
• He is the first Net to score at least 2,000 points in a single season. (2006–07)³⁹

Career highs

• Points – 51 (2 times)
• Field Goals Made – 20 vs. Milwaukee 01/14/00
• Field Goals Attempted – 36 @ Philadelphia 01/21/01
• Three Point Field Goals Made – 9 vs. Memphis 12/11/06
• Three Point Field Goals Attempted – 20 vs. Memphis 12/11/06
• Free Throws Made – 23 @ Miami 12/23/05
• Free Throws Attempted – 27 @ Phoenix 12/30/00
• Offensive Rebounds – 8 vs. Chicago 11/05/05
• Defensive Rebounds – 13 (2 times)
• Total Rebounds – 16 vs. Washington 04/07/07
• Assists – 14 @ Milwaukee 01/09/09
• Steals – 6 (3 times)
• Blocks – 6 vs. Chicago 03/28/99
• Minutes Played – 63 vs. Sacramento 02/23/01¹⁵

Video game, TV and film appearances

• Appeared on the cover of NBA Live 2004.⁴⁰
• Appeared on the cover of NBA Inside Drive 2002.⁴¹
• Appeared in the 2002 film Like Mike, where the fictional Los Angeles Knights had to beat Carter and the Toronto Raptors in order to gain the 8th seed in the playoffs.
• Appeared in Fabolous' 2002 music video for "This Is My Party", and Glenn Lewis' 2003 music video for "Back for More".

Off the court

• He has donated large amounts of money to his former high school, Mainland High School as well as to his foundation, The Embassy of Hope. On February 3, 2007, a statue of Vince Carter was unveiled at the school.⁴²
• Carter visited with the Duquesne University basketball team in Pittsburgh as a show of support after its shooting incident in September 2006.⁴³
• He sold his condo in Toronto to former Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher A. J. Burnett for $2.8 million. He took a loss of $700,000 due to all the upgrades. It is a 10-room luxury condo with sweeping views of Lake Ontario and Toronto's skyline in an exclusive building on Queens Quay.⁴⁴
• He is a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and displays the organization's hand signals on court.^{citation needed}
• When Carter joined the Nets, he lived in Saddle River, New Jersey, where he joined a bowling league in with then teammate Jason Kidd.⁴⁵
• Has one daughter, Kai Michelle Carter,⁴⁶ born on June 1, 2005.⁹
• Vince also donated $1.6 million in 2007 to the Stewart-Marchman-Act Foundation⁴⁷ to help in the construction of what is today the Vince Carter Sanctuary⁴⁸. The Vince Carter Sanctuary is a CARF Accredited⁴⁹ 100-bed substance abuse treatment and detox center located in Bunnell, FL which had its grand opening on August 17, 2009.⁵⁰.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

• Toronto Raptors accomplishments and records

Notes

External links

• Official Website
• Profile at NBA.com
• U.S. Olympic Team bio
• Vince Carter Sanctuary

Links to related articles v • d • e 1998 NBA Draft First Round Michael Olowokandi · Mike Bibby · Raef LaFrentz · Antawn Jamison · Vince Carter · Robert Traylor · Jason Williams · Larry Hughes · Dirk Nowitzki · Paul Pierce · Bonzi Wells · Michael Doleac · Keon Clark · Michael Dickerson · Matt Harpring · Bryce Drew · Radoslav Nesterović · Mirsad Türkcan · Pat Garrity · Roshown McLeod · Ricky Davis · Brian Skinner · Tyronn Lue · Felipe López · Al Harrington · Sam Jacobson · Vladimir Stepania · Corey Benjamin · Nazr Mohammed Second Round Ansu Sesay · Ruben Patterson · Rashard Lewis · Jelani McCoy · Shammond Williams · Bruno Šundov · Jerome James · Casey Shaw · DeMarco Johnson · Rafer Alston · Korleone Young · Cuttino Mobley · Miles Simon · Jahidi White · Sean Marks · Toby Bailey · Andrae Patterson · Tyson Wheeler · Ryan Stack · Cory Carr · Andrew Betts · Corey Brewer · Derrick Dial · Greg Buckner · Tremaine Fowlkes · Ryan Bowen · J. R. Henderson · Torraye Braggs · Maceo Baston v • d • e 1998 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans First Team Mike Bibby • Antawn Jamison • Raef LaFrentz • Paul Pierce • Miles Simon Second Team Vince Carter • Mateen Cleaves • Pat Garrity • Richard Hamilton • Ansu Sesay v • d • e NBA Rookie of the Year Award 1953: Meineke | 1954: Felix | 1955: Pettit | 1956: Stokes | 1957: Heinsohn | 1958: Sauldsberry | 1959: Baylor | 1960: Chamberlain | 1961: Robertson | 1962: Bellamy | 1963: Dischinger | 1964: Lucas | 1965: Reed | 1966: Barry | 1967: Bing | 1968: Monroe | 1969: Unseld | 1970: Alcindor | 1971: Cowens & Petrie | 1972: Wicks | 1973: McAdoo | 1974: DiGregorio | 1975: Wilkes | 1976: Adams | 1977: Dantley | 1978: Davis | 1979: Ford | 1980: Bird | 1981: Griffith | 1982: Williams | 1983: Cummings | 1984: Sampson | 1985: Jordan | 1986: Ewing | 1987: Person | 1988: Jackson | 1989: Richmond | 1990: Robinson | 1991: Coleman | 1992: Johnson | 1993: O'Neal | 1994: Webber | 1995: Hill & Kidd | 1996: Stoudamire | 1997: Iverson | 1998: Duncan | 1999: Carter | 2000: Brand & Francis | 2001: Miller | 2002: Gasol | 2003: Stoudemire | 2004: James | 2005: Okafor | 2006: Paul | 2007: Roy | 2008: Durant | 2009: Rose v • d • e NBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest winners 1984: Nance | 1985: Wilkins | 1986: Webb | 1987: Jordan | 1988: Jordan | 1989: Walker | 1990: Wilkins | 1991: Brown | 1992: Ceballos | 1993: Miner | 1994: Rider | 1995: Miner | 1996: Barry | 1997: Bryant | 2000: Carter | 2001: Mason | 2002: Richardson | 2003: Richardson | 2004: Jones | 2005: Smith | 2006: Robinson | 2007: Green | 2008: Howard | 2009: Robinson v • d • e 2000 Olympic Champions Men's Basketball – United States 4 Smith | 5 Kidd | 6 Houston | 7 Mourning | 8 Hardaway | 9 Carter | 10 Garnett | 11 Baker | 12 Allen | 13 McDyess | 14 Payton | 15 Abdur-Rahim | Coach: Tomjanovich v • d • e North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball retired and honored jerseys Retired #5 Jack Cobb • #10 Lennie Rosenbluth • #12 Phil Ford • #20 George Glamack • #23 Michael Jordan • #33 Antawn Jamison • #50 Tyler Hansbrough • #52 James Worthy Honored #0 Cartwright Carmichael • #00 Eric Montross & Brendan Haywood • #2 Raymond Felton • #5 Jim Jordan & Ty Lawson • #11 Larry Brown • #12 Lee Shaffer • #13 John Dillon • #15 Vince Carter • #21 Mitch Kupchak & Donald Williams • #22 Wayne Ellington, York Larese & Bob Lewis • #24 Walter Davis • #30 Al Wood, Kenny Smith & Rasheed Wallace • #31 Bill Chamberlain & Mike O'Koren • #32 Billy Cunningham & Rashad McCants • #33 Charlie Scott • #34 Bobby Jones, J. R. Reid & George Lynch #35 Pete Brennan, Doug Moe & Robert McAdoo • #40 Tommy Kearns & Joseph Forte • #41 Sam Perkins • #42 Brad Daugherty, Jerry Stackhouse & Sean May • #44 Larry Miller & Dennis Wuycik • #45 Tom LaGarde v • d • e NBA Live Video games 95 · 96 · 97 · 98 · 99  · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 06 · 07 · 08 · 09 · 10 Cover athletes '95: 1994 NBA Finals action shot • '96: Shaquille O'Neal • '97: Mitch Richmond • '98: Tim Hardaway • '99: Antoine Walker • '00: Tim Duncan • '01: Kevin Garnett • '02: Steve Francis • '03: Jason Kidd • '04: Vince Carter • '05: Carmelo Anthony • '06: Dwyane Wade, Yuta Tabuse (Japanese cover) • '07: Tracy McGrady, Pau Gasol (Spanish cover), Boris Diaw and Tony Parker (French cover), Dirk Nowitzki (German cover) • '08: Gilbert Arenas, Dirk Nowitzki (German cover), Andrea Bargnani (Italian cover) • '09: Tony Parker, Luol Deng (UK cover), Andrea Bargnani (Italian cover), Pau Gasol (Spanish cover) • '10: Dwight Howard