An homage to the man who saved the Slam Dunk Contest.
Long-gone were the days when the leagueâs âA-Listâ stars competed in the exhibition. With the starpower gone, the contest had been reserved for end of the bench players and young highflyers looking to make a name for themselves. Performing unoriginal dunks and leaving no lasting memories for the fans. And for the two years prior to 2000, the contest had been left for dead - being replaced by the WNBA-NBA 2Ball Contest in â98 and no All-Star Weekend entirely in â99 due to the lockout.
There was a genuine itch for the return of the contest during All-Star Weekend in 2000. Helping hype that itch was a group of young, high-flying blue chippers set to compete. Not quite the starpower that once bestowed the exhibition - but young stars with bright futures ahead of them.
Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis threw down slams that would have easily clinched them gold in any other year. But the night belonged to Vince Carter.
Carter established dominance early with a strong 360 windmill dunk to start. He followed it up with a 180 reverse slam, where he started underneath the backboard. The crowd had no idea how to process these dunks.
Carterâs third dunk was where he showed the world he was on a different level and why he was called âHalf Man, Half Amazing.â He caught a bounce from teammate Tracy McGrady, put the ball between his legs mid-air, and finished with a thunderous windmill.
Carter cruised to the finals; but by now everyone knew the contest belonged to âAir Canada.â Carter flashed his elite vertical with a one-handed jam where his entire forearm was in the basket. He hung onto the rim for a few extra seconds for dramatic effect. He finished off the night with a âsafeâ two-handed slam from about 13 feet out.
Carter won the contest going away and âVinsanityâ had officially begun. His performance ascended his career and the dunk contest itself to new heights, while simultaneously putting Canadien basketball on the map.
Carter showed the world why he was âHalf Man, Half Amazing.â I salute you, Vince Carter. Thanks for the memories.








