UNC Basketball: Vince Carter climbs all-time scoring list

Vince Carter turned 43 years old on Sunday, but that’s not stopping him from continuing to climb the record books.

The Atlanta Hawks defeated the L.A. Clippers 102-95 on Wednesday, and although Vince Carter had just three points, they were historic.

Carter is in his fourth decade of professional basketball — the only player to ever do so — and he’s still making his way through the record books. The three points he scored versus the Clippers moved him up a spot on the all-time scoring list.

With 25,614 points, Carter passed Alex English for 19th-place on the all-time scoring list. Carter isn’t on the roster to put points up. He’s on the team to be a locker room guy, and lead by example for a team full of youth that needs the blueprint to succeed.

Carter is averaging 4.8 points on just 15 minutes per game, meaning this will probably be the last time we see him jump up the leaderboards in points scored. And with Carmelo Anthony being the player directly ahead of him, it’s very unlikely he gains anymore ground on the list.

But that’s not a sad thing; it’s a celebration. The excellence that Vince Carter has displayed for all of these years has been something we were blessed to witness. He’s truly been half-man, half-amazing.

All the highlights, all the points and all the dunks are coming to an end in the near future. And what a career it’s been for Carter.

It’s time to cherish every moment he can give us. The first face of the Toronto Raptors franchise and one of the greatest dunkers of all time, we appreciate you, Vince.