Vince Carter becomes fifth player in NBA history to appear in 1,500 games

Vince Carter’s legacy will always be defined by his days throwing down dunks on the league with the Toronto Raptors, but his longevity is becoming impressive in its own right.

The 42-year-old Carter added to that legacy on Tuesday, when — just by walking onto the floor — he entered a club of only five players in NBA history.

Vince Carter plays 1,500th game

Facing the Miami Heat on Tuesday, Carter played in the 1,500 game of his career. That puts him in a group occupied only by Robert Parish (1,611 games), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560), Dirk Nowitzki(1,522) and John Stockton (1,504).

Interestingly enough, Carter is the only wing (small forward or shooting guard) in that group, and you have to go as far down as No. 12 (Reggie Miller with 1,389) to find another.

Carter, who has played in 19 of the Hawks’ 24 games this year, could also conceivably pass Nowitzki and Stockton on the all-time games-played list this season. Given that he said he wanted to play in all 82 games this year, it’s not out of the question he finishes his career just short of Abdul-Jabbar.

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