“Going against him brought the best out of me… I knew I had to score, and that didn’t mean going shot for shot, point for point. Couldn’t do that. Allen Iverson is Allen Iverson.” When Vince Carter made his debut, Allen Iverson had already achieved the ROTY to stamp his fresh authority on the league. Carter did the same during his season and the Eastern Conference had two of the most prolific scorers. But their bond, stretched outside the court, as the 76ers legend appreciated ‘Half-Man, Half-Amazing’.

“Congratulations Bro well deserved, Love you!” Allen Iverson shared the post because Vince Carter is the first player in Raptors history to receive the jersey retirement honor. The emotional speech was 30 minutes long and worth every minute, after which the franchise raised the jersey to the rafters. So the praise from the VP of Basketball of Reebok shouldn’t come as a surprise because he did such things even early in his career.

“I mean that’s something that I want to you know share with my kids when they get older. You know my first All-Star Game, I got a chance to you know throw a lob to Vinsanity you know. And they understand why it feel so good to be able to throw it to him once they see what type of player he is.” During the 2000 All-Star Game, Iverson explained his feelings about playing alongside Carter. Incidentally, it was both their first All-Star appearance.

“I was excited about this All-Star Game just because leading vote-getter you know that’s a chance of a lifetime. Then it probably won’t happen again and it might you never know.” Vince Carter had the highest votes in that season, despite it being his second season in the league. With 1,911,973 votes, he was ahead of Alonzo Mourning (1,878,588), Allen Iverson (1,843,011), and Shaquille O’Neal (1,807,609).

The Raptors legend continued in the old video from the 2000 Game. “So I was just trying to live it up and just enjoy the scenery and playing with somebody like Allen and then and on down the list.” Even LeBron James admired Vince Carter’s career on social media.  “CONGRATULATIONS VINSANITY!!!! @mrvincecarter15. DOPE!! IMMORTALIZED IN THE 6!!!” The 8x All-Star left a huge presence on the court for everyone to look back at. And one of them was the intense matchup against AI.

Allen Iverson and Vince Carter light up the East

During the 2001 playoffs, the Raptors and the 76ers fought for the final spot in the conference. And the first 6 games were a perfect display of both their abilities. Allen Iverson contributed 36 points and 7 steals. And Vince Carter was a pound-for-pound match as he scored 35 points, alongside his 7 dimes. The Raptors would lead the series 1-0.

It was enough to give AI added motivation, as he ended up with 54 points in Game 2, while Carter added 28. The 76ers too won the game, but couldn’t stop the juggernaut in Game 3. As Air Canada scored his 50 points while Iverson added 23 points and the Raptors would win again and snatch the series lead.

Before Game 5, Allen Iverson also received the MVP honors for the season, so he obliged with 52 points for the fans. But in Game 6, Carter’s 39-point explosion to force Game 7 was arguably one of the greatest games of his career. Unfortunately, in Game 7, Carter missed the final shot and the Raptors lost the series 87-88. But the series had enough impact for the fans and Allen Iverson to remember Vinsanity’s legendary career.