During the promotional tour before the release of his book ‘The Mamba Mentality: How I Play‘ in 2018, Kobe Bryant was asked about Vince Carter and the Hall of Famer credited the guard for bringing the best out of him. The Los Angeles Lakers icon added that the former Brooklyn Nets star was rated as a better prospect than him during their high school days, which pushed him to elevate himself to his level.
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Like Bryant, Carter also enjoyed his rivalry against the five-time NBA champion, and reminisced about it during an interview with Bleacher Report, saying,
“Kobe and I played [in high school] together and we were very competitive… I knew he wanted to beat me and he wanted to dominate me. And I can tell how the conversation went with different people and our conversations [at] the All-Star weekend. I was like, ‘Oh, now you want to talk to me!’ (laughs) It’s just a different era and a different time and I was just like, ‘I love it.’ And he knew I wasn’t going to back down and vice versa. It made for great competition and he was the standard.”
Carter added that he was fortunate to play against Bryant, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James and claimed that the Los Angeles Lakers icon belongs in the GOAT debate alongside the other two.
Despite being a year older than the Lakers great, the former Toronto Raptors entered the league two years after him. Bryant came into the NBA straight out of high school while Carter spent three seasons in college before joining his AAU teammate in 1998. They admired each other’s game and were highly competitive every time they faced off, resulting in some epic duels. But who came out on top?
Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter’s head-to-head record
While Kobe Bryant finished his career with five NBA titles, Vince Carter never got the opportunity to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The Lakers superstar undoubtedly had a more fruitful career than the future Hall of Famer and also dominated his long-time friend on the court.
They faced off 31 times in the NBA and Bryant won 20, while Carter tasted victory on 11 occasions. The Lakers icon averaged 23.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.3 rebounds against the former Raptors star, while Vinsanity managed 16 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game against the Black Mamba.
Despite claiming that Carter brought the best out of him, Bryant usually dominated when they faced off. However, the Lakers superstar often had the better team, while his rival was stuck on underwhelming rosters for most of his career. Regardless, their records against each other don’t quite paint the full picture, as Bryant’s admission accurately indicates Carter’s ability more than statistics.
