Vince Carter participated in a conference call on Thursday regarding the inaugural Jr. NBA World Championship and said he is still passionate about playing basketball.
The 41-year-old forward recently signed an one-year, $2.4M contract with the Atlanta Hawks and now has his sights set on his 21st NBA season.
“I still want to play the game,” said Carter, who is the oldest player in the NBA right now. “Whatever minutes are there, I want (them).”
The Canadian legend mentioned he prefers to have more playing time than to serve as a mentor on a title contender.
“I come from an era where that’s not how it was. So that’s still instilled in me. And I don’t have any problem with how it’s done now. (It’s) just not for me,” he added.
Carter may still want to sign with a contending team next year, however he believes he will retire after the end of the 2018/19 season.
“I think before that happens I’ll probably retire anyway. It’s tough to walk away. Obviously when it’s time, it’s time,” he said. “But I’m still passionate about it.”
The veteran player averaged 5.4 points per game in a limited role for the Sacramento Kings last season, as Atlanta will be the eighth team in his career.
The eight-time All-Star, who is planning to pursue a broadcasting career after his retirement, will be a game analyst during the inaugural Jr. NBA World Championship, which starts next week at Disney in Orlando and will include the top 32 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world.
