Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, Vince Carter, participated in the NBA Dunk Contest exactly one time during his 22-year career: It was back in 2000 when the All-Start Game and its ancillary events were hosted by the Oakland Arena. It’s still one of those that’s talked about by NBA fans.
The image from this week’s Fan Teaser was captured just after Carter received a bounce pass from teammate, cousin – and fellow Dunk Contest participant! – Tracy McGrady. Carter went through his legs before throwing down a tomahawk jam.
As the Dunk Contest had begun to lose some of its luster (much the same way it has these days) it was uncertain whether Carter would even participate. There’s a terrific oral history that ESPN put together about how it came to pass. You’re able to read that piece here.
Always known as a high-flyer, Carter went onto to play a remarkable 22 seasons and 1,541 regular-season games through his age 43 season before retiring following a 60-game campaign with the Atlanta Hawks in 2019-20. He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in October 2024 and had, shortly thereafter, his jersey No. 15 retired by both the Toronto Raptors (his original team) and the New Jersey Nets (his second team) early in the 2024-25 season. (Additional viewing: His Raptors jersey retirement ceremony and his Nets jersey retirement ceremony.)
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.