Wednesday night's game between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks may have been the last time that will ever see Vince Carter on a basketball court.
During the second half of New York's 136-131 overtime victory, the NBA announced that the league season will be suspended until further notice as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, in what will go down as one of the most unbelievable nights in sports history. As the Knicks-Hawks game came to a close amid those surreal reports, Carter checked into the game and drilled a three in what could be the final shot of his illustrious career.
Speaking with reporters after the loss, Carter discussed the possibility that he had played his final NBA game.
"It's just weird," Carter said (H/T Bleacher Report). "As we were being briefed on everything ... I'm sitting there, like, 'All right, this is it. Like that. It ended like that.' Probably tonight, I'll reflect, like, 'Golly, this is weird, man.'"
"I'm not one for the whole thing anyway," Carter said. "So if you ask a lot of people around me, they'll tell you this. I'm appreciative, but I just do my time, walk out the door, it's okay with me, believe it or not. I'm cool. I just... the game's been good."
"If it ended today—and this day, this end of the season, these last 16 games will be talked about for a very long time—that's something I'll always remember," Carter added. "At least I scored my last basket. It will be a weird-but-cool memory."
Carter, 43, earned All-Star honors eight times in his career, including two All-NBA selections, to go along with all of his unforgettable dunks, both in-game and in the 2000 competition. As it stands, the future Hall of Famer boasts career averages of 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Check out his post-game press conference below.