Vince Carter Turns Down Shaquille O’Neal’s $200M Offer to Recreate Iconic 2000 Slam Dunk Contest Dunks

The slam dunk season was in full swing, and the mood for aerial displays was in the air all around. Hours before Mac McClung wowed fans with his dunks to steal the show and win this year’s contest, something rather peculiar happened on the Inside the NBA show when Vince Carter joined to discuss the events at All-Star Saturday. Before anyone could react, Shaquille O’Neal stepped in and issued a challenge to the man who made a name with his high-flying jams.

Shaq, who’s not known for his frugality, asked Vince if he could recreate his historic 2000 Dunk Contest jams for a whopping $50 million. With the All-Star Game returning to Oakland this year, Vince’s ‘hanging with his arm in the rim’ performance in 2000 was brought up frequently in the banter around the event.

The former Raptor jested a bit while answering Shaq’s question. Carter looked around the crowd and asked for the location of the nearest hospital as if hinting that he’d get injured trying anything he did 25 years ago.

“Ay wait wait wait I got a question. Before we entertain them, where’s the local hospital? Is there one close by? Okay cool. That’s where we’re going,” joked Carter.

After the crowd and his co-hosts erupted into laughter, Shaq made another run at ‘Air Canada’. Upping the ante, O’Neal asked him if he’d accept $200 million to attempt his old dunks, leaving everyone flabbergasted.

“Vince, my last and final offer: 200 million dollars,” Shaq said.

Carter then gestured as if he was warming up, before giving a non-committal look. It was clear that the 48-year-old would not be putting on any heroics for the cameras.

Of course, having Carter perform one of his famed dunks is always a spectacle. But then he’s 48, was in a well-tailored suit, and unsure if his body would hold up.

It’s not as though Carter still can’t get up there. The 48-year-old dunked merely 11 months ago with his shirt tucked into his trousers without any warm-up. The one-handed flush was a mere glimpse into just how freakishly athletic he once was and still is.

It isn’t rare for NBA players to still be able to throw it down well into the latter half of their lives. Marques Johnson famously takes to his socials to show off his dunking capabilities every year, with him doing so at the age of 68 with relative ease.

The Inside the NBA crew has some experience with dunk contests

While looking at a panel consisting of O’Neal and Charles Barkley, we naturally assume they have a few dunk contests under their belt. But that’s not the case. Shaq has never participated in one. Chuck was due to take part in 1985 but had to eventually withdraw due to an injury.

Surprisingly, Kenny Smith is the only member of the panel to have taken part in an NBA Dunk Contest. He was the finalist in 1990 in Miami and lost to Dominique Wilkins. Kenny did receive a lot of praise for his ‘signature dunk,’ which saw him bounce the ball between his legs, off the backboard, and slam it in all with his back to the rim.

Kenny was also a judge in Carter’s iconic 2000 Dunk Contest victory. He had front-row seats to one of the most outrageous dunks of the night — Vince putting his entire arm inside the rim and hanging on for a couple of seconds after finishing. No wonder Shaq wanted to relive that magic.