Vince Carter

Vince Carter is my hero. He rose up to become the NBA's best player. Vince Carter was born on January 26, 1977 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Both of his parents worked at the local school district. After elementary school he attended Mainland High School where he was a drum major, played the saxophone in the band and was on the basketball team. In elementary school he wasn't the best player. It wasn't until high school that he revealed his talent. Vince never bragged about his talents and I admire him for this. His friends would walk up to people and tell them who he was and then let him deal with them. This must have been very tough.

After high school, Vince had to decide whether to accept a music scholarship or a sports scholarship. The University of North Carolina had the honor to have Vince on their basketball team. After playing college ball he was drafted into the NBA.

At the University of North Carolina, he used his basketball talent to lead the Tarheels to two back-to-back final-four appearances. Even though his team didn't win, being in the final four made NBA scouts look at him. After his senior year he chose to enter the NBA draft. He was selected as the number 5 overall pick by the Golden State Warriors. He was quickly traded to the Toronto Raptors for Antwan Jamison. In Toronto he soon earned the respect of the rest of the league. In 1998 he won the Rookie of the year award.

Last summer Vince was selected to represent the US in the Olympics, after Tom Gugliotta hurt his knee. As one of the top scorers he helped the team win the gold medal. One of the highlights of his career in the Olympics was him jumping over a seven foot tall player on an opposing team. Right after the games in Sydney he had to jump right into the regular NBA season. Most people would be really tired after playing so much, but he came into the season all ready to go. This is one reason I admire him.

My hero's achievements amount to a whole lot. He won the 1998 Rookie of the Year Award, he was named a Goodwill Ambassador, and donated $10,000 to his Alma Mater. He created and supports the Embassy of Hope Foundation, organizes summer All-Star games for charity, and runs a basketball camp for kids. All these things and more make Vince Carter my hero.