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CHAT TRANSCRIPT — MAY 26, 1999
One-on-One with Vince Carter
 What's up, NBA.com: The new Rookie of the Year with his hardware. (Daria DeBuono/NBA Photos) |
The Toronto Raptors' rookie sensation received 113 of a possible 118 votes, an astounding 95.8 percent of the vote, outdistancing Jason Williams and Paul Pierce.
Carter, the fifth selection in the 1998 NBA Draft, averaged 18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.54 blocked shots, and 1.10 steals while shooting .450 (345-for-766) from the field in 35.2 minutes per game. He started 49 of 50 games and ranked first in scoring and shot blocking, third in assists, fourth in rebounding, fifth in steals, and sixth in field-goal percentage among rookie league-leaders.
He also captured the imagination of basketball fans everywhere with his athleticism, which often manifested itself in some of the most artistic, powerful, rim-rattling slam dunks the NBA has ever seen. His ability to dominate a highlight film often overshadowed the fact that his fundamentals and maturity helped lift the previously anemic Raptors into playoff contention for the first time in their brief history.
Carter also made his mark on NBA.com, sharing the trials and tribulations of his first NBA season all season long with college teammate Antawn Jamison.
Carter joined NBA.com for a live chat following the presentation of the award.
Tarek Mohamed at 11:15am ET
How much does this award mean to you?
Vince Carter at 11:16am ET
It means a lot because before the press conference today, I was looking at a list of the past winners, all the winners who've become legends, and first of all, I think I have a long way to go before I become a legend. But this is a start. I know I have some big shoes to fill. Just look at last year's winner — Tim Duncan. I'm definitely starting Monday, working out, and preparing to be a great player in the future and do great things for the Toronto Raptors next year.
Brian at 11:17am ET
Vince, what was your overall impression of the NBA, the Raptors and the city of Toronto during your first season?
Vince Carter at 11:19am ET
Toronto is a great place. It's a great place to be. It's hard for me to understand why a lot of guys didn't want ot play for the Raptors, but I guess everyone is different. The organization is very supportive. They believe in their players, from the biggest starter to the guy on the end of the bench. The city of Toronto has gotten excited about this team this year — we're winning games now, the fans are ecstatic, especially when we reached .500. The atmosphere around here was tremendous. The Air Canada Center became a tough place to visit. I'm looking forward to next year, to see how the fans will react. We had a tough end of the year, but our last home game was sold out. So I'm looking forward to next year. It's a new thing, we're starting to grow, and I hope we can continue to go upward.
Bad Scooter at 11:19am ET
Vince, great job with the "What's Up?" feature this year. Did you enjoy it as much as it seemed you did? Do you plan on doing it next year?
Vince Carter at 11:20am ET
Yeah, I really enjoyed that. It gave me the chance to keep in contact with Antawn. We're both busy, not home as much, because of the demands of the games this year. We plan to do it next year. It'll be neat, because we'll be in our second season — not rookies, we've been there. We can give each other pointers. We're not like seven-year vets, but we can support each other. So we plan to do it next year.
Damon Smith from proxy.aol.com at 11:20am ET
Who was your inspiration in your career?
Vince Carter at 11:22am ET
Basketball career — it has to be my parents. Believe it or not, they're my personal coaches. After every game, I call them and get their take on how I played. They've been there since Day 1. In the NBA, if I had to pick one, I'd pick Charles Oakley. He's given me the encouragement, everything. No. 2, I'd say the rest of the veterans — Kevin Willis, Dee Brown and Doug (Christie). Guys who were just there. If Charles wasn't in the game, I'd go up to one of them and ask questions and they'd help me. Anytime I needed help. They helped me win this award.
AirCanadaCarter at 11:22am ET
Vince, congratulations on winning Rookie of the Year! What do you think the Raptors should be looking to improve on for next year? Any idea who they would like to draft?
Vince Carter at 11:23am ET
I don't know right now, but the talk around here is that they're trying to look for another point guard, to assist Dee Brown and Alvin Williams. A quick point guard. In the future, our second pick maybe we can trade. We really want a dominant center, a big guy who can block shots, to assist Kevin. That's what we need. We're looking for support in all five positions. It's not etched in stone, but look for that to happen.
Fazal from sprint.ca at 11:24am ET
Congratulations Vince! What skills do you think you need to polish to take this Raptors team to the next level? And what are the chances of Charles Oakley staying in Toronto?
Vince Carter at 11:25am ET
First of all, talking to Coach, talking to Butch, there are two things we need to keep me happy (laughs). Make sure we sign Charles Oakley, and make sure we sign Tracy McGrady. They're both big parts of the Raptor organization. Charles is the backbone of this team. We need to keep him happy. For me, I'm just going to continue to work on my game — get experience, work on my 3-point shot. Dee Brown has encouraged me. I'd love to be in that situation. And I want to continue to be a great ballhandler. It's great to win an award like this, but it brings a lot of problems, as far as exposure, basketball-wise. I'm going to have to handle a lot of things on the floor. So I'm going to be mentally prepared.
Peter at 11:26am ET
Vince, what was the greatest moment of your rookie season?
Vince Carter at 11:29am ET
If I had to pick one? (laughs) I'm going to give you two. First, the great game I had against Scottie Pippen. That's one of the guys I've looked up to for a long time, and I was anticipating the chance to play against him. To actually have a good game against him was memorable. Second is just feeling the reaction and the confidence in our fans in Toronto when we went one game over .500. That was something. It hasn't happened to this team, and is something I think they'll always remember. It was something new for them. And I was a part of it and was able to contribute to it. When I first got to Toronto, the fans were quiet. It was like being at a bingo game or something. But by midseason, it was unbelievable. We were selling out, 18,000 a night. I can't wait to see how it grows next year. It's very satisfying, getting fans to believe. It's hard to do. If they have the mindset that this team stinks, it's hard to change. But they started to show up, painting their faces, wearing jerseys and waving Toronto flags, that's a big change.
Blake Diamond at 11:29am ET
Do you see yourself in Toronto your whole career? The people there obviously love you that much for you to be a franchise player. Obviously the management does to by sending you to the Draft Lottery.
Vince Carter at 11:30am ET
I plan on it, and I told them I never wanted to be traded. I love it. Toronto is a great city, a great place to make a home. That's what we're planning on right now. The reason they picked me was that they felt I could bring great things to the team, and convince a lot of players that it's okay to play in Toronto. A lot of guys have shyed away from even working out here. But I think if I can convince them, it'll trickle down to other players. But I plan to stay here and hopefully be a franchise player.
mdan at 11:31am ET
Congrats on your award Vince! So what can we start calling you? Have you selected a nickname from NBA.com's list? I think 'The Pilot' suits you (i.e. the Pilot and his crew). What do you think?
Vince Carter at 11:31am ET
(laughs) No, I haven't. I'm still looking through them, and one day when I find one that rings and sounds good, we'll go with that.
Vince Carter at 11:32am ET
I'd like to thank all of the fans around the world — big fans of mine, and people who are not fans of me — who've given me support and given the Raptors support. I'm hoping to continue to improve and help this Toronto team become popular in the NBA — so look out for the Raptors!
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