“Old” Vince Carter’s Stubborn Demand Cost Ex-Teammate Dearly as Jeff Teague Reveals Years-Old Hatred

Though he may not have achieved an NBA championship, Vince Carter playing till 43 showed his passion for the game. While he is among the top 5 players to have played NBA to the highest age, the 8x All-Star sits at the top spot in the total number of seasons in the NBA (22). Now imagine wanting more play time even in his 22nd season in the league — that’s Vinsanity for you.

However, it seems Carter’s desire cost Jeff Teague some of his playing time, as he recalled on ‘Club 520 Podcast’. “Carter was funny as hell… I’ve never seen a ni**a so old that still wanted to play the whole game… He keep taking me out… You are 43… You still don’t wanna come out… I’m over there hating, too, after a while. Give me 18 minutes… Keep us in. We can win this motherf*cker. We make playoffs,” Teague said on the podcast. When Vince Carter was 43, both he and Teague were playing for the Atlanta Hawks.

Although, minutes per game (20.8) for the 2021 NBA champ in his 25 games for the Hawks, as compared to minutes per game (14.6) for the 8x All-Star are higher. But there were multiple games where, at 43, Carter spent a similar time on the court to 31-year-old Teague. Speaking of stats, the difference between the two players in their 25 games with each other was not so stark. While the 2021 NBA champ averaged 7.7 points, and 2.2 rebounds per game, Vince averaged 5.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.

As for the equation between the two players, it’s not as if there was literal hate from Teague’s end for Vince as one could mistake from the above statement. In fact, he had on one occasion defended Vinsanity against a comparison that Teague felt was unfair to Carter.

The time Teague tolerated no “disrespect” against Vince Carter

This came in a separate episode of Club 520 Podcast in 2023, during a discussion on comparison between two Toronto Raptors legends — Carter and Kawhi Leonard. Although Leonard has won 2 NBA championships and Vinasanity did not win any, Teague claimed the 8x All Star to still be a better player than the 2x NBA champ.

“Don’t disrespect Vince like that… Kawhi Leonard is not better than Vince Carter. At they peak? At they peak, Vince Carter was the number one in All-Star votes. It’s a reason… he was hard, bro. He was cold. Kawhi elite, he ain’t better than Vince Carter,” Teague said on the Club 520 Podcast.

Although the Board Man still has time to write his legacy, the first 10 seasons’ stat-comparison speaks in Carter’s favor. The 8x All Star averaged 23.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in his first 10 seasons, while Leonard averaged 19.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in initial 10 NBA seasons. So it’s evident that his alleged stubbornness aside, Vince Carter remains a prominent name in the league.