“I remember my second practice, right here,” Vince Carter said on Saturday afternoon, extending his arm to the practice court at the Air Canada Centre.
“Charles Oakley grabs me by my shoulder and says, ‘Hey, I’m going to help you and make you somebody in this league.’ ”
The sun had begun to set outside and the few windows in the gym were giving way to dusk, the gym slowly darkening while Carter spoke.
Seventeen years and six teams later, Carter is that veteran now, herding young players and the multitude of personalities that have landed on the Memphis Grizzlies’ roster after this week’s trade deadline under his lengthy wingspan.