Kobe Bryant was the best SG of the 2000s, but people forget Vince Carter and his contribution

Kobe Bryant is the go-to SG of the 2000s- Vince Carter held that mantle before Kobe became the Black Mamba.

Apart from not having a ring to his name, Vince Carter achieved everything. Multiple all-star appearances, multiple all-NBA selections, and a well-deserved RoTY were just some of the achievements on his list. Right from when he entered the league, Carter was taking the league by storm, even before Kobe Bryant blossomed into the maniac he was.

Even if he was drafted 2 years after Kobe was, he kicked off right from the get-go. Kobe was growing into a talent, but Vince and Allen Iverson came in prepared. 18.3 points in his rookie year, followed by 25.7 points in his second, made him a mainstay for years. Even after moving to New Jersey, his contributions did not wane.

He was better than Dwyane Wade in his early years, easily better than Kobe in the beginning, and went hand in hand with Allen Iverson. Does anyone remember him making all those buzzer-beating three-pointers? Not many, because all they remember are his dunks. But he leads the league with the most ever-not LeBron, not Kobe, not MJ. But Vince.

Also Read: Vince Carter lost $4.7 million out of his $110 million fortune by breaching his contract with a federal prisoner

Vince Carter is not just a run-and-dunk man — people forget what a well-rounded offensive machine he was

Vince did his reputation no favours when he won the dunk contest in such a magnanimous fashion. And after that Olympic dunk, nobody even cared about what else he could do. Did people forget, for a while, that it was Allen Iverson and Vince Carter going toe to toe about who was the better all-around SG?

It looks like they certainly did because a “dunker” cannot have the 6th most 3-point shots ever made. This list has the likes of Klay Thompson, LeBron James, and Damian Lillard. Granted, he played more games than they did, but he also did so during a period when mid-range was king.

Nobody noticed because it was so seamless. He could do everything-from Ja Morant’s athleticism to Dame’s long-range efforts, Carter could do it all.

He deserves a lot more recognition than just being the best dunker of all time. Vince Carter was a top-5 SG when he played and still is.

Also Read: “Stephen Curry is willing to put the ball in the hands of the hot player”: Vince Carter breaks down the GSW MVP’s off-ball movement while calling him an “unselfish superstar”