Michael Jordan is widely known as the best player in the game, but there is one aspect of it that Vince Carter isn’t willing to concede to him.
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Jordan and Carter were both elite dunkers and revolutionized the way dunking is seen today. Carter, especially, has made a name for himself when it comes to throwing the ball down.
Carter’s legendary 2000 slam dunk contest is an iconic moment in NBA history as his “it’s over” celebration lives on to this day.
(2000) 19 years ago today, Vince Carter shut DOWN the NBA Dunk Contest.
“IT’S OVER!” 🗣 pic.twitter.com/XIObsnqmb1
— Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) February 12, 2019
Understandably, when people started questioning whether his dunking was superior or Jordan’s, Carter got a little defensive when it came to giving an answer.
Who Is The Better Dunker? Michael Jordan Or Vince Carter?
Carter knows that Michael Jordan is the person everyone looks up to no matter what you’re talking about. When it comes to basketball, Jordan is the first name that pops into anyone’s mind.
This was something Carter touched upon when he appeared on the Dan Patrick show as he said:
“Like I said, just walking into that gym, that’s one thing every Carolina player will say this. Walking into the gym, the first person every person looks for is MJ.”
That’s why Carter was very reluctant to give up his dunking fame to Michael Jordan. And to be fair, it makes sense. Carter has literally created a reputation around himself being the best dunker of all time. Whenever the dunk contest takes place, judges, fans, and everyone really is looking to compare the dunk to Carter’s iconic dunks.
While Jordan made a name for himself through winning titles and dominating the game through his scoring and defense, he never really created the same kind of reputation for dunking. So, about the dunking crown Carter?
“I’ll take that. You can’t give MJ everything. He’s got everything else. He’s right there.”
“We know what he did in college, and of course in the NBA, and his ability to dunk. I might not end up being the greatest player or as good as him, but that something that I can kinda have people thinking. Hey maybe. So that dunk contest is one of the things I made my mark…The dunk contest was kind of like my moment in time where I said I’m gonna shock the world and wild up the crowd for years to come. I just didn’t know it’ll have its effect like it’s had, and I’m thankful for it.”
And, well, there you have it: the one thing Carter is ready to crown himself over Jordan. It’s difficult to that considering how great Jordan was at everything (including dunking), but Carter definitely deserves this one. To be honest, Carter shouldn’t even have to defend himself this way.
You can watch Carter’s reaction here:
