Nets legend Vince Carter explains how franchise set him up for HOF

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have had some great players come through the franchise since even before the team moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn. The organization was able to do something special for one of its former players by retiring Vince Carter’s number during Saturday’s game against the Miami Heat and he explained how his time with the team set him up to be a Hall-of-Famer.

“A lot of it goes to Jason Kidd. And I’ve got to give L-Frank (former head coach Lawrence Frank) some love, too. But I think, like I said after that – after that lob, him knowing that I was willing to do whatever; after the game-winner in Toronto off the handoff – if he didn’t know, he learned that I was not afraid of the moment,” Carter said. Carter made it a point during his press conference to give credit to those who helped him along the way, including Kidd, one of the greatest point guards that the game of basketball has ever seen.

“I wasn’t afraid to fail. And when I did, I wanted more. I wanted the opportunity again,” Carter continued. “I just felt comfortable in the moment and I was not afraid of those moments. And then it got worse because of a guy named Jason Kidd who wasn’t afraid of any pass in the game. He didn’t care about a turnover because he probably had – well, there’s no probably – had more assist and turnovers. And we started to work together and I started to understand, we were just starting to figure out he’s on a fast break if i can’t catch up, guess who’s wheeling around for the deep 3? And it was a weapon. And it’s used today now, but it was used in yesteryears as well.”

Carter and Kidd were teammates on two different teams: the Nets from 2004 to 2008 and the Dallas Mavericks during 2011-12 season. In the four seasons that Carter and Kidd played together in New Jersey, the franchise went to the playoffs in three out of those four seasons and they were able to make it to the second round of the playoffs thanks to how well the two played together.

The 2011-12 season, the year after the Mavericks won the NBA championship, Dallas saw a team with Carter and Kidd make it back to the playoffs before losing in the first round as the Mavericks were aging out of the players that had gotten them so far the year before. Throughout all of that, Carter doesn’t forget to pay respect to those who helped him along the way, including Kidd.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets legend Vince Carter explains how franchise set him up for HOF