Eight-time All-Star Vince Carter and 2024 NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups are knocking on the doors of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Carter and Billups were unveiled on Friday as finalists to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame as part of the 2024 class. They are joined by 12 other names, including Wisconsin’s head coach Bo Ryan and Minnesota Lynx legend Seimone Augustus.
Carter played 22 seasons in the NBA, more than any other player in the history of the league. He is best known for his spectacular dunks, having won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2000. Carter suited up for eight different franchises, including the Toronto Raptors and the New Jersey Nets, and finished his career averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
“Unbelievable,” said Carter after hearing the news. “I loved to play more than anything. It wasn’t about the numbers. I was asked probably five years prior to retiring, ‘Why are you still playing? You’re killing your average.’ And I said, ‘But I still love to play.’ And that’s what mattered.”
Billups played for seven NBA teams during his 17 years in the league and received five All-Star selections. He left the biggest mark with the Detroit Pistons, whom he led to an unlikely NBA title in 2004. Billups’ career averages include 15.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game.
“Everybody that enters the NBA … it’s their dream,” Billups, who currently serves as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, told ESPN. “It’s basically basketball heaven to be in the Hall of Fame.”
