There is a grainy video on Youtube of Vince Carter dunking over Frederic Weis in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The video displays Carter dunking over Weis from six different camera vantage points.
Watching the six in totality is like watching the first six Star Wars consecutively, if the prequels were just as awesome as the original trilogy.
Here’s the video to jog your memory. Vinsanity, he of the most immaculate reverse 360 windmill dunk every put to film, somehow topped that feat by jumping over Mount Everest in 7’2 Frenchman Frederic Weis. It was the first time in global power relations that a seven-foot man was hurdled over by an opponent like a pole vaulter.
As an eight year old child obsessed with basketball, it was the first time I believed that anything was possible.
Vince Carter’s irrepressible talent of flight took to myself and many others my age. He was a national treasure to his adoptive city of Toronto, and the NBA took flight with Air Vinsanity at the 2000 All Star Game’s slam dunk contest.
However, as a result of the 2000 Olympic games and his billboard over Weis – not a poster, a damn billboard – Vince Carter’s fame catapulted into the astral plane.
Vince recants his process of the dunk on NBCOlympics.com:
“‘A lot of things are going through my mind during that dunk, which are crazy that people wouldn’t even think about,” Carter said. “Everybody is looking at the dunk and, in my mind, I’m thinking that I jumped too far out and that I wasn’t going to make it…’”
I appreciate both potential reactions that result from his anecdote. It is possible that yes, his dunk came with immense doubt from the man himself because, hell, no one had done that before!
However, watch the dunk again. His physical process – from stealing the ball from forward Yann Bonato to jumping over Weis – was a perfect oscillation that casted absolutely no doubt of failure from Carter. I’d like to believe the latter opinion on Vince’s quote; the man is too good.
But my favorite part of the whole situation has to be Kevin Garnett. His shove of Vince Carter was both extremely violent and somehow touching, given Garnett’s stature as of the most fearsome players to ever play the game.
Vince remembers this as well: “KG’s reaction is because of what he’s just witnessed.” I had the same reaction, albeit a more subdued eight year old version of it. And I’m sure many other had the same feeling from it.
This is what I think the best part of the Olympics is. Despite the extremely problematic nature of the Olympiad’s present-day proceedings, and despite the claim that it strengthens foreign relations through competition (c’mon son), a 6’6 man jumping over a 7’2 man can and will unify anyone – regardless of age, race, and religion.
Because that shit is ridiculous.
