“He Was Supposed to Be the Next [Michael] Jordan”: Once Kicked Out of ESPN, NBA Veteran Gets Showered With Ultimate Praise

Michael Jordan retired for the second time in 1999. The NBA, at the time, had to transition from Jordan to the next player as the face of the league. Players like Kobe Bryant had the potential to eventually take on that mantle. But one player who was already ready and had the skills was Vince Carter.

Although his resume as a player and an analyst was not enough for ESPN to keep him on their platform, Vince Carter recently received immense praise from Boston Celtics legends for what he brought to the table.

Vince Carter was ready to be the face of the NBA

Kevin Garnett recently shared a video from his podcast, KG Certified, on Twitter. In the video, Garnett and Paul Pierce talk about what it was like to go up against Vince Carter on the NBA court. According to the Celtics legends, it was a terrifying experience to play against Carter, as he was one of the best players. Pierce said, “He was supposed to lead us to the post-Michael Jordan era. He was that good, bro.“.

Garnett wrote in his post, “He (Vince Carter) was supposed to be the next Jordan, he was a nightmare” – @paulpierce34. Vince Carter was a MF problem! You needed to be extra locked in against him or you might’ve ended up on ESPN Top 10 😂“.

Playing against Carter made Pierce feel like he was stranded on an island with no help. If you were not fully locked in while defending Carter, it was highly likely that you could end up at the receiving end of a poster dunk.

This is not the first Michael Jordan comparison for Carter

Although it might seem hard to believe, former NBA players have always considered Carter to be one of the best players ever. While Jay Williams considered that Carter could be as great as Jordan, Richard Jefferson once said that Carter was more skilled than LeBron James.

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While the players know how great Vince Carter is, he often gets underrated by a lot of fans. Be that as it may, his time with the Toronto Raptors had people thinking that Carter would lead the NBA to its future.

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What do you think of Carter’s position in the NBA hierarchy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!