CHICAGO - The year was 1998. The film Armageddon was lording over the box-office while Australian pop duo Savage Garden was killing the music charts with the hit song Truly Madly Deeply.
And oh, Fidel Castro was still very much alive, chomping on his giant cigars with ravaging gusto while ruling the island nation of Cuba with a ruthless iron fist.
In June of that fabulous year, Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. entered the NBA draft. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward from the University of North Carolina was chosen fifth overall by the Golden State Warriors, who then traded him to Toronto where he reincarnated simply as Vince Carter.
Soon after, his airborne exploits spawned nearly half a dozen nicknames- V.C, Vinsanity, Air Canada, Half-Man-Half Amazing and the Flying Man.
Reduced in layman's terms, Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity means one hour feels like a minute when you're having fun while one minute feels like an hour when you're not having fun. This is why Carter's years in the NBA has passed us by so quickly we barely noticed he's been around for 20 seasons.
Carter recently signed a one-year deal with Atlanta worth $2.4 million. The Hawks finished last in the Eastern Conference last season at 24-59. They haven't won a title since 1958 and won't be close to winning one anytime soon.
But Carter looks forward to having fun while mentoring his young teammates, including celebrated rookie Trae Young, who was only 10 months old when Carter was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1999.
Vince is the NBA's oldest player entering the 2018-19 season and while he may be a step slower now, his All-Star dimming more than it is shining, he remains a man of undiminished charm.
In my 17 years as an NBA-credentialed writer, I've spoken to Vince on a few occasions. He doesn't say much but he is one of those dudes whose strength of presence requires little dialogue.
Three years ago at the United Center he revealed to me one of the simple keys that has lengthened his playing career - early bedtime.
"I don't go out much anymore I'd rather spend most of my free time with family," he said.
I met Vince again last May at the Eastern Conference Finals in Cleveland. He didn't want to be interviewed but we made small talk about how the NBA has changed with the faster pace and appetite for threes. We also talked about basketball fever in the Philippines and his admiration for Manny Pacquiao.
Unlike some of his contemporaries who spent their later years chasing a ring, Vince insists he is so not into it.
"I come from an era where that's not how it was. So it's still instilled in me. And I don't have any problem with how it's done now," he told ESPN last week.
Indeed, Carter doesn't need an NBA title to validate his greatness. In fact, his credentials make a robust case for a Hall-of-Fame enshrinement. He is an eight-time All-Star, an Olympic gold medalist (2000), a ROY winner, Slam Dunk champion, and is currently 22nd in the NBA's all-time scoring leaders with 24,868 points.
VINCE is the show in showman, one who can light an arena with his singular sensation. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics for instance, he leapt over 7-foot-2 Frederic Weis for an earth-shaking throwdown. The French media, awestruck beyond words, dubbed the move as le dunk de la mort.
The Dunk of Death.
But Carter is more than just eye candy. He is as durable as Motolite battery.
He has played in 1,405 out of a possible 1,608 regular season games in 20 years, an insanely high 87-percent attendance rate. And he didn't just show up, he averaged 17.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per while logging a total of 44,161 minutes according to basketballreference.com
His playoffs numbers are even more scary - 18.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per in 88 appearances. Carter still holds the playoffs record of eight triples in one half, a feat he accomplished last May 11, 2011 when the Raptors played the Sixers in the East Conference semifinals.
We now live in a generation where sports achievement has been somewhat diminished by giving everyone trophies and medals for mere participation. These days, statues are everywhere, creating false gods for gullible fanatics.
That shouldn't be the case. There should be a statu(t)e of limitations.
That being said, it shouldn't be much of a stretch to expect them Canadians to erect a statue for Vinsanity. Long before they were We The North, the Raptors were up there in the NBA stratosphere, lifted by Vince Carter's star power.
Carter missed out on the NBA's new money but he ain't pouting. Through 20 seasons he has made $181.9 million in salaries. Plus untold millions more in endorsements.
He is rich beyond his wildest dreams. He is respected by his peers, adored by his millions of fans.
Vince Carter doesn't need a ring to make his NBA life whole.
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