A common topic for basketball fans is to debate the greatest teams ever assembled.
Whether it's at the NBA level or getting all the way down to the high school level, there's plenty of room to debate and some highly-qualified teams that you could easily make a case for.
In terms of the question of which AAU team is the best to ever be assembled, Vince Carter just ended that debate for good.
Vince Carter ends the best AAU team ever debate
On an episode of his podcast, Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady, the UNC basketball legend settled the debate once and for all.
Wait until you see who was on his AAU team!
Was this the best AAU team ever?!
— Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady (@VinceAndTmac) May 4, 2026
🔹 Kobe Bryant
🔸 Vince Carter
🔹 Tim Thomas
🔸 Rip Hamilton
🔹 Kevin Freeman
🔥 @FanDuel pic.twitter.com/mNtKMeJ4ra
Yes, you heard that correctly: the Patterson New Jersey AAU team in 1994 had an absolute SQUAD!
Not only did the roster feature Carter, a future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, but also had some pretty good NBA-level talent around him, including the trio of Tim Thomas (who, in case you're unaware, built the reputation as a New Jersey basketball legend), Richard "Rip" Hamilton and Kevin Freeman.
OH, and don't forget the Black Mamba himself, Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant.
That's simply not fair!
Of course, there's been some really good AAU (and even high school teams) over the years, but you'd be crazy not to take this five against anyone who might have crossed their path. At the time, these young studs were still budding as future stars, but it's safe to say that everyone who competed against them or simply watched them compete knew that this group was something special.
You can research it all you want. It's simply safe to say that there's never been an AAU squad as talented as the one Carter was a part of, a unit that combined for:
-69 seasons in the NBA
-29 All-Star Game appearances
-17 All-NBA selections
-6 NBA championships
-4 First round draft picks
-2 Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers
The scary thing is: those are just some of the many accolades this special group ended up putting together!
As VC said famously during the NBA Slam Dunk contest many years back, "it's ova!"
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