Vince Carter was the Next Michael Jordan?

When he first came into the league, there was a lot of hype surrounding Vince Carter. He hailed from the University of North Carolina and he was playing for the Toronto Raptors. Early on, he showed the people how things were done. It did not take him long to become the best dunker in the league. Aside from dunking, Carter showed that he was a great player. On the opposite side of the league was Kobe Bryant, a backup guard for the Lakers. He was not much yet, but he showed flashes of what he could be.

At the time, Michael Jordan had just retired from the NBA and the media was looking to fill that void. Often, sports analysts would ask certain NBA players, current and former, about who they felt would fill Jordan's void. Almost everyone would agree that Vince Carter was that man. Early in his career, there were many parallels between himself and Michael Jordan. But, when the man, Michael Jordan, himself, was asked about who he felt was the future, he chose Kobe Bryant.

There was never any doubt that Bryant would be a good player, but to say that he would one day become the best player in the league was outrageous. Vince Carter continued to carry the Raptors on his back and he was putting up big numbers. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant was just stepping into the role of Robin to the Batman of Shaquille O'Neal. Even with Shaq as the leader, Kobe soon began to prove his worth. By 2000, there was not a person in the league who would not agree that Bryant was every bit as good, if not better, than Vince Carter. When Carter became injury prone and Kobe became a champion, everyone began to see exactly what Michael Jordan was saying way back in 1998.

Now, ten years later, Vince Carter has become a role playing journeyman, while Kobe Bryant has made himself into the second-best player in NBA history. So, Vince Carter was the next Michael Jordan?