Vince Carter names three opponents who were tougher to guard than LeBron James

Vince Carter played against many of the greatest players ever to grace the NBA.

The Toronto Raptors icon spent 22 years in the league in a career that spanned four decades and saw him enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Drafted in 1998, Carter sat down with hip-hop mogul T.I. to discuss his illustrious list of toughest opponents during his final season in 2020.

“I played against (Michael) Jordan, (Scottie) Pippen, (Charles) Barkley. I caught them, I caught John Stockton, (Karl) Malone. So I caught that era,” he said.

“Obviously Kobe (Bryant) and everybody, that’s my era. And then LeBron (James) and this era.

“So I’ve gotten the chance to play against some of the best that we’re considered to ever play the game. So, man, I’m thankful, man.”

T.I. asked Carter to name his toughest opponents to score on and defend.

“The hardest to score against, the New York Knicks as a team was the hardest to score against because the way they played in ’99, when we played them in the playoffs, they had moves.

“They swept us in, bro. That was one of the hardest I can remember. It was tough.

“(Latrell) Sprewell, I got to add to that because he was one of the guys that I was like, ‘Man’, ‘cos he ain’t never get tired. You can, you can dog him all you want. He come back, ‘Let’s go. I’m back. I ain’t done. Let’s go.’

“I got to add Scottie Pippen to that because he was still locking people up, like you see on the Last Dance, he was still doing that.”

LeBron James was the last NBA icon to cross paths with Carter.

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And the NBA great had no hesitations when naming the three men he found toughest to guard.

“MJ, Kobe and A.I. (Allen Iverson),” he said. “Hands down.”

Carter is the only man to play in the NBA for four decades.

He won Rookie of the Year in 1999 and was an eight-time All-Star.

His name will forever be linked to the greats he played with and against after he joined the Hall of Fame.

“Thank you for this unbelievable honor. I hold this honor in high regard,” Carter said during his acceptance speech.

“I’ve finally been able to handle that you’ve given me an honor not many players get to experience.

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“I’m now walking through the doors which the icons of the game walked through.”

Carter played for eight teams across his NBA career, but the Raptors stood out.

“It all started there. I had some memorable moments with that organization that created ‘Vinsanity,'” he said.

“Which is why, without a doubt, I’m going into the Hall of Fame as a Raptor.”