Vince Carter stopped chasing the ring, stopped leaping for the clouds, stopped stressing about the fact his aerial acrobatics grabbed all the attention, when what he really wants is to be appreciated as a pure basketball savant.
But that’s the beauty of aging. Perceived slights become less painful by the year.
Carter, who is 41 and plans to play another season, whether with the Kings or elsewhere, continues to improvise, sketching out his legacy on the fly, if not necessarily in the air.
In the closing weeks of his 24th season, he is committed to passing along his most valuable lessons to his young teammates, not the least of which is cautioning De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason III against unnecessarily “reckless” drives to the basket that threaten to shorten their careers.