Vince Carter is one of the NBA’s most popular stars. The shooting guard and small forward, who stands at 6 feet 6 inches, currently represents the Atlanta Hawks, having turned out for the likes of the Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors in a career which started way back in 1998.
Carter, 43, is also one of the sport’s better-decorated players, with multiple accolades to his name. He’s an 8x NBA All-Star and an Olympic Games gold medalist to mention a couple of his career highlights. Earlier this month Carter became the first player in the NBA to play across four different decades, with a career spanning over two decades so far. And now, Carter has taken another stride forward in cementing his legacy in NBA history.
On Thursday, Carter overtook Dirk Nowitzki in the all-time games played list, with 1,523 to his name. The fifth pick in 1998 now has Abdul-Jabbar (1,560) in his sights in second place, with Robert Parish well clear at the top of the pile with 1,611 games under his belt. Carter moved into third place as the Hawks surprised Philadelphia by winning 127-117. With Carter and the Hawks next in action on February 2nd against the Mavericks, so, if you fancy a flutter on the action, you can find the best betting promotions for this week’s games over at bettingonline.co.uk
Thursday’s game against Philadelphia also saw Carter break a record, with the 43-year-old bagging fourteen points in the surprise victory. The fourteen points are the highest points total scored by any player forty-three years old and over, adding another impressive accolade to his CV. The previous record was twelve points, with these having been picked up by Robert Parish, the man at the top of the games played list, on December 13th, 1996.
It proved to be an eventful evening in the NBA elsewhere too, with Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry suggesting a supporter shoved him as he went chasing after a loose ball and ending up in the stands. The Raptors, who were facing off against the Cavaliers, won the match 115-109, but Lowry wasn’t happy following the game.
“I got pushed, and that’s the second time it’s happened to me,” Lowry said. “The next time it happens, I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself. Fans like that shouldn’t be able to lay any hands on you and shouldn’t be a part of our game.”
Video footage suggests Lowry received a shove in the back after landing on a couple of spectators in the first row. As this isn’t the first time this has happened, it’s understandable that the situation angered Lowry. The Raptors going on to win the match will have gone some way to appeasing Lowry, and so will his inclusion in the All-Star Game, scheduled to take place next month.
