Chauncey Billups and Vince Carter celebrate their Hall of Fame journey

This past weekend, the NBA celebrated another edition of their Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, with Vince Carter and Chauncey Billups starring this year’s list. Now that they have finally made the elite distinction of the basketball league, they have reflected on their long and successful careers.

After a historic-22 seasons in the big stage, Carter commemorated the fact that he is the only athlete to ever compete in the NBA during four different decades. In this time frame, he started out by conquering the 1999 Rookie of the Year award, received eight All-Star selections, a couple of All-NBA teams, and dropped over 25,000 points.

However, one of his most memorable moments come during the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest, which is considered by most to be the most important exhibition in this event’s history. The Raptors legend revealed some time later than he came up with his iconic dunk as he was flying through the air, and didn’t even think he was good enough to win.

Two legends under one roof 🏀 Michael Jordan congratulates Vince Carter for recieving his Hall of Fame jacket and ring 💍#NBA #vinceCarter #MichaelJordan #Legends #ChicagoBulls #TorontoRaptors #Basketball pic.twitter.com/Wnsguu8QaX

— EssentiallySports (@es_sportsnews) October 13, 2024

“I looked in the stands, and I was on another level as far as excitement and hype for the moment,” Vince recalled. “I felt the routine I had the night before wasn’t going to win. And, I took a chance. We’re here talking about the good, because there could have been a lot of bad … I just wanted to show the world my athleticism. I put some things together, had some safe landings.

His first dunk was a reverse windmill that left everyone at the arena stunned in silence, before erupting into a wild roar. “I just felt good about the night. After the first dunk, a lot of excitement and confidence came out of me, and the sky was the limit from there,” Carter shared.

Years later the former NBA star recognized that he would watch the slam contest religiously throughout his youth, and remembered being full of adrenaline that special night. “I tried that, worked on it so many times and could barely make that dunk in practice,” the 47-year-old said. “But my adrenaline was so, so high to where I said, ‘You know what? I think I can pull it off.’ That’s just what it was.”

“[Kevin Garnett] probably hyped me up from afar because I remember walking out on the court, got the ball, nervous, hands, a little sweaty. I had just had surgery on my middle finger, so if you go back, you see my finger is taped up. I see all the guys I either played college ball with or against or in the pros and the excitement on these professional superstars’ face for what I was going to do,” he expressed.

Billups enjoyed success in the league both as a player and as head coach, especially when he lead the Pistons to their 2004 NBA title

After years playing as an athlete, Chauncey Billups finally got his big break to coach in the NBA right when Michael Jordan had signed his first contract in Chicago. The tactician led the Bulls roster at the start of the 90s, but was later replaced by Phil Jackson, who took the franchise to new heights.

“It’s my journey,” the Hall of Famer shared. “Everybody’s is totally different. And I say this all the time, from the time that I was drafted to today, me getting on this stage and being [here] this weekend, it was a tough road for me.”

The 48-year-old recalled his first years as a player, especially over the fact that he had a rough start in the NBA. “There was not a lot of traffic on that road, to be honest with you. Not a lot of people, third pick in the draft, five teams my first five years … I wasn’t playing poorly, it was just circumstances. Obviously I wasn’t playing good enough, but it is what it is, and I learned so much about me along that way in that process that just made me,” he said.

He didn’t really break into the worldwide scene until he led the Pistons to the league title back in 2004. Alongside fellow Hall of Famers Ben Wallace and Larry Brown, Billups achieved the most important accolade of his career during his five-year stay in Michigan.