Former Hawks player and eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter will be joining the FOX Sports Southeast broadcast team for five Hawks games in the first half of the 2020-21 season.
Carter is the only NBA player to play in four decades. He finished his career with two seasons in Atlanta and was a valuable mentor for young players on the team. Carter will join play-by-play announcer Bob Rathbun, analyst and Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins and courtside reporter Kelly Crull, and he’s looking forward to bringing his in-depth knowledge of the team to viewers.
“I’m familiar with what (Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce) is thinking, what he’s thinking about, how he sees things, how he views things, and a lot of the players, I’ve been around them, played with a lot of the players. ... It’s easy to talk about the game, don’t get me wrong, but I really know these guys and can have personal stories,” Carter said. “And can give better analysis on a player in real situations or game-time situations.”
His first appearance will come when the Hawks play Wednesday in Brooklyn. He will return for the Hawks’ home game against the Timberwolves on MLK Day, Jan. 18, 2021, which is the first game the team expects to allow fans into State Farm Arena at 10% capacity. He also will be on the call Jan. 24 as the Hawks play in Milwaukee and will make back-to-back appearances on Feb. 1 (vs. Lakers) and Feb. 3 (vs. Mavericks) at State Farm Arena.
Having played alongside budding stars Trae Young, John Collins, Kevin Huerter, Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter during his two seasons in Atlanta, Carter looks forward to highlighting the growth he’s seeing in them. He’s familiar wit the teams new additions, having played with Bogdan Bogdanovic in Sacramento, and against Danilo Gallinari and Solomon Hill plenty over the years.
Carter has watched the Hawks through the preseason and their 2-0 start to the regular season. He still keeps in touch with the team.
“That’s the kind of advantage that I think viewers and listeners, they’ll enjoy that, because now when they’re looking at it, they’re looking at this player, and you can tell and say ‘Oh that’s right, he was that kind of player and now he’s become this kind of player,’ ” Carter said.
Thus far, he likes what he’s seeing from the Hawks and the blend of talent they have on the roster.
“I’m very impressed,” Carter said. “I’m a big believer in a mix of young guys and veterans, and they have that now.”
This isn’t the first time Carter will appear on a Hawks broadcast. He was a guest analyst on April 3, 2019, when he missed the game due to load management.
“We are excited to welcome Vince to five of our Hawks broadcasts during the first half of this NBA season,” FOX Sports South general manager Jeff Genthner said. “Playing 22 seasons in the NBA, and finishing his career with the Hawks, Hawks fans can look forward to Vince’s unique insights and big personality on our telecasts.”
Carter will make more appearances on the broadcast in the season’s second-half schedule, which won’t be released until near the end of the first half.
Here’s a list of the games Carter will join the broadcast team for (all times Eastern):
- Hawks at Nets, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 30
- Timberwolves vs. Hawks, 2:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 18, 2021
- Hawks at Bucks, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 24
- Lakers vs. Hawks, 7:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 1
- Mavericks vs. Hawks, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 3
