Vince Carter recalls Kobe Bryant’s bold message to him before retirement: “You’re gonna enjoy it”

Vince Carter revealed how the late Kobe Bryant helped him in one of the toughest phases of his basketball career.


Vince Carter recalls Kobe Bryant’s bold message to him before retirement: “You’re gonna enjoy it”

Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter

Vince Carter was one of the most decorated basketball players in the league during his time. He played for 22 seasons in the NBA before calling it quits on his illustrious career. However, during that time Carter faced many difficulties in his career. One of them is the idea of having to give up on his favorite game forever.

However, at that very time, Carter revealed in an interview with Taylor Rooks that the late Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant helped him with coming to terms with his retirement from the sport. He also said how Bryant told him to embrace his retirement rather than struggling with it for the rest of his life. In addition, at that time, Bryant had already retired and was enjoying his life to the fullest.

YouTube video
I struggled with the word retiring... I asked him about that word. How is it? He said, 'It is the greatest thing ever, it's the best feeling. You're gonna enjoy it.'
In the interview, when asked about his retirement, Vince Carter said

Hearing those words from a superstar like Kobe Bryant gave Carter confidence that he would be fine after retiring, and he has been.

FS Video

On the sports side of things, Carter had an illustrious basketball career in the 22 seasons that he played. Carter was an eight-time All-Star as well as a two-time All-NBA Team selection. He is the only player in NBA history to have played as many as 22 seasons between his debut in 1999 and his retirement in 2020. Not only that, Carter was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.

Kobe Bryant made Vince Carter and DeMar DeRozan regret their choices

The Toronto Raptors legend Vince Carter and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant knew each other very well over the years in the NBA. During a particular game, Carter tried to piss off Bryant by telling the Raptors’ rookie DeMar DeRozan to not wear Bryant’s “Kobes.” Notably, DeMar DeRozan idolized Bryant but accepted Carter’s terms and wore the Jordan 10s instead.

However, this decision backfired badly on both Raptors’ players. In that game, Kobe demolished the Raptors. Following his successful buzzer-beater to win the game, he approached DeRozan and told him, “Don’t wear that sh** ever again!”

YouTube video

Among the NBA’s fiercest competitors was Kobe Bryant. He was a monster on the floor in the eyes of his opponents. Also, he has given a lot to young players around the world and hence many look up to him and idolize him in the NBA to this date.

In Case You Missed It: