Vince Carter

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar had his say after the league was put on hold for an indefinite period, in response to a Utah Jazz player testing positive for coronavirus.

Basketball suffered the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash in January, with James left "heartbroken" by the death of his fellow Lakers great.

Now the season is on hold and may not resume, leading James to post on Twitter: "Man we cancelling sporting events, school, office work, etc etc. What we really need to cancel is 2020! Damn it's been a rough 3 months. God bless and stay safe."

Rudy Gobert, the Jazz's French centre, reportedly contracted COVID-19, spurring the NBA to make its decision to call off all games.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry backed the decision to put basketball on hold as he called for a sense of perspective.

He tweeted: "2020 ain't [sic] it. Don't know what to compare this situation to…just gotta buckle up and take care of yourself and those around you. Basketball will be back at some point but right now, protect yourself and stay safe out there!"

The Orlando Magic's Evan Fournier, a France team-mate of Gobert's, said his international colleague was bearing up well.

Fournier wrote: "Was just on the phone with Rudy. He is doing good man. Let's not panic everyone. Love you all."

Speaking in a news conference after a 136-131 loss to the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young spoke about the post-match discussions in the team's camp.

He said: "We didn't really talk anything about the game or how it ended. It was more about the next steps for us, about moving forward and what we need to do to stay safe and try to stay [as far] away from getting this as possible. It was about how we can be more cautious about it."

Young said the players had an inkling the NBA would call a halt to the season.

"We kind of knew it - we didn't know about all the details until 30 minutes before the game. Maybe tonight was about thinking what the next steps are for us," Young said.

He bowed out with 42 points, albeit in a losing cause.

"Someone told me it was our last game for right now," Young said. "We weren't going to have fans probably for the rest of the season anyway. I wanted to go out and put on a show for the fans. I was going to go out fighting and playing hard and putting on a show."

Mike Malone, coach of the Denver Nuggets, spoke after his team's 113-97 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Malone said: "I don't know what this means. I know instead of flying to San Antonio we're going to fly home tonight.

"We support the league's decision, obviously being putting the players', the fans', the officials', the coaches', the staffs' best interests at heart, and we have to get our minds wrapped around what this coronavirus is doing.

"We support their decision and we wait to hear from them as to what this means moving forward, because honest to God I have no idea. And I just hope we can figure this out and get back to playing basketball in a timely manner when it's deemed safe."

Only the 22 teams with the best records will recommence the 2019-20 season in Florida, with the campaign now officially over for eight clubs, including Carter's Atlanta Hawks.

The 43-year-old became the first man to play an NBA game in four different decades earlier this year, but he had also confirmed this would be his final season before retirement.

Though 'Vinsanity' will not be afforded the farewell many of his peers received, we take a look at the eight-time All-Star's brilliant career using Stats Perform News numbers.

LONGEVITY

Carter entered the league in 1998 having been drafted fifth overall and he played in 50 games for the Toronto Raptors during a lockout-shortened campaign, during which he won Rookie of the Year.

Incredibly, the guard has barely missed any significant time over the past 22 years - only sitting out the final 22 games of the 2001-02 season and the start of the following term due to injury - and he started all 82 games for the New Jersey Nets in 2006-07.

In all, Carter has played 1,541 games - third-most of all time - a total only Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can better, and he was only 20 appearances away from moving up to second on the list.

The honour of playing in the most NBA seasons does belong to Carter, though, as this campaign was his 22nd, one more than Parish, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Willis.

JOURNEYMAN

Unlike Dallas Mavericks icon Nowitzki - the NBA's ultimate one-team man - and Garnett, who represented only three clubs, Carter has called almost a third of the NBA home at one point or another.

After lengthy spells with the Raptors and Nets, Carter played for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings before arriving in Atlanta in 2018.

Of those to have played for eight NBA teams, Carter's 25,728 points are 6,314 more than anyone else, with Jamal Crawford next on that list ahead of Otis Thorpe and Willis.

Carter has played at least 50 games per season at each of those eight stops, another record he holds along with others such as Crawford and Matt Barnes.

POINTS

Naturally given such longevity, it is no surprise to see Carter flying high on all-time points lists too.

His 25,728 points are the 19th-most of all time, more than notable names such as Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley.

Moreover, Carter is a top-five scorer for two different franchises - the Nets (where he has the third-most points ever) and the Raptors (where he has the fourth-most). Others to own that distinction include Chris Bosh (the Raptors and Miami Heat) and LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers and Heat).

Carter's accuracy from beyond the arc certainly helped his numbers, as he drained 2,290 three-pointers - sixth-most of all time - from 6,168 attempts - fifth-most of all time.

He may not get the rapturous send-off his career deserves, but Carter's impact on the NBA over the past two-and-a-bit decades has certainly been felt.

Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a game-high 32 points as the high-flying Bucks improved to 32-5 on Saturday.

Reigning MVP Antetokounmpo scored 19 of his points in the third quarter to fuel Milwaukee's fifth successive win since a Christmas Day loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs (14-20) with 26 points on the road in Milwaukee.

Meanwhile, Luka Doncic's NBA-leading 10th triple-double of the season was not enough to stop the Dallas Mavericks from falling 123-120 to the Charlotte Hornets in overtime.

Doncic had 39 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the Mavericks, who succumbed to Terry Rozier's go-ahead shot from range in OT.

Rozier finished with 29 points as the Hornets erased a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Young sees Hawks soar

Trae Young's 41 points powered the struggling Atlanta Hawks past the Indiana Pacers 116-111.

Jae Crowder (27 points), Jaren Jackson Jr. (24), Ja Morant (22) and Dillon Brooks (22) starred as the Memphis Grizzlies crushed the Paul George-less Los Angeles Clippers 140-114 in LA.

Double-doubles from Fred VanVleet (29 points, 11 assists) and Serge Ibaka (21 points, 12 rebounds), and Kyle Lowry's 26 points guided the Toronto Raptors to a 121-102 win at the Brooklyn Nets.

The Utah Jazz topped the Orlando Magic 109-96 thanks to Donovan Mitchell's 32 points on the road.

Jamal Murray put up 39 points in the Denver Nuggets' 128-114 defeat away to the Washington Wizards.

Aldridge goes cold

LaMarcus Aldridge scored all 16 of his points in the first half, with the Spurs big man 0 of seven from the field in 15 second-half minutes.

Carter makes history

Hawks veteran Vince Carter, 42, received a standing ovation after he became the first NBA player in history to feature in four different decades.

Saturday's results

Memphis Grizzlies 140-114 Los Angeles Clippers
Toronto Raptors 121-102 Brooklyn Nets
Utah Jazz 109-96 Orlando Magic
Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 Cleveland Cavaliers
Atlanta Hawks 116-111 Indiana Pacers
Boston Celtics 111-104 Chicago Bulls
Washington Wizards 128-124 Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons 111-104 Golden State Warriors
Milwaukee Bucks 127-118 San Antonio Spurs
Charlotte Hornets 123-120 Dallas Mavericks (OT)
New Orleans Pelicans 117-115 Sacramento Kings

Pistons at Lakers

The Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers (28-7) will welcome the Pistons (13-23) to Staples Center on Sunday. The Lakers have won four straight, while the Pistons are eyeing back-to-back victories.

The 43-year-old eight-time All-Star became the first player in league history to play in 22 NBA seasons when he began his second campaign with the Atlanta Hawks.

Carter, who was the fifth overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, has also played with the Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.

He nailed a three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining in the Hawks' 136-131 defeat to the New York Knicks on Wednesday evening.

And that might be his last act as a player in the NBA, with the coronavirus threat leading the league to suspend all matches indefinitely.

It remains to be seen whether the season is formally called to an early end, but as the pandemic causes life to come to a standstill in many parts of the world, Carter is comfortable with the notion his playing career might be done.

Carter said: "If it ended today and you know this day, this end of the season, these last 16 games, will be talked about for a very long time. And that's something I'll always remember, at least I scored my last basket and there'll be a weird but cool memory.

"It's a weird way to say I'm calling a career - you don't have any more games left. I still technically have eligibility. I have 15 games left - but if not, I'm [at] one with it."

Speaking in a news conference, Carter recalled a chat with the late Kobe Bryant that allowed him to come to terms with the idea this would be his final year playing, saying it gave him "the confidence and comfort" to speak openly about walking away.

"It's cool, though. Basketball has been good to me and I've enjoyed every moment, good and bad," Carter said.

The World Health Organization said there have been 129,822 coronavirus cases globally, and 4,751 deaths.

"When you throw the word 'death' around, I think that kind of shocks everybody and puts us in a frenzy and puts everyone on guard. You can't get away from that," Carter said.

"You feel for everyone who has a lot more to worry about than us as young athletes. We're just doing the right thing.

"Yes it feels weird, but I'm okay with it because I understand what is the bigger picture."

The eight-time All-Star became the first man to play in the league across four decades when he checked into the Atlanta Hawks' 116-111 home win over the Indiana Pacers to a standing ovation on Saturday.

Carter, the fifth overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, is in his 22nd season in the league and will turn 43 in January.

The Olympic gold medallist was proud to still be competing over a timeframe that outstrips some of the biggest names in basketball history.

"It's a unique situation. Prior to the season coming I didn't know much about this stat and once it got here it got out there," said Carter.

"I saw a picture of one of my team-mates by the name of Hakeem Olajuwon [who is now 56] and the other was Trae [Young, who is 21] and it's just like, man, as much as I talk to people and handshake with former friends who are now GMs, coaches, whatever they are, I can say I played against Michael Jordan and stuff like that and now I'm playing against the Trae Youngs and all the stars of today.

"I'm just very thankful to still be around and competing at this level, probably more competitive now because I know the end is near. I challenge myself every day when I get on the floor to play my minutes hard and compete, and not to prove to anybody else but to me that I deserve to be here.

"I never imagined playing this long. I probably said before when I got to the league I said I wanted to play 15 years. Some of the elite superstars of the NBA played 12 to 14 years and I was like, 'If I can play 15 years, I'm doing something.' I got to 15 years and I still felt good and here I am seven years later. It's an unbelievable feeling.

"It hasn't really hit me. I knew about it coming into the game but once it's game time I'm locked in on my job and what I need to do. When I get home it's like, 'Wow, four decades!'

"I've seen a few videos and I think about first of all the picture quality! When I started and how it kind of moved on decade to decade to decade it gets better and better and I was in all of these. It's crazy.

"Any time you're the first doing something it's always special. It was something that was never talked about, thought about, we would probably consider unheard of.

"For it to actually happen is pretty cool. You look in the history books now and you're talking about, 'Oh, he's played a couple decades,' and, 'Oh, there's a guy who actually played four decades, what do you think about that?' And it'll be my name. "

Few players have competed in the NBA after their 40th birthday.

For Carter it is a desire to prove he still deserves his spot on the Hawks' roster that provides motivation to keep going in what should be the twilight of his career.

"There were different milestones for me personally, it had nothing to do with scoring. There were a bunch of 40-year-olds playing in this league, but I want to be a 40-year-old still contributing, still competing," he said.

"I don't play big minutes but when I'm out there I want people to say, 'Oh, he belongs.' It's not charity or a favour you're doing for me."

Atlanta Hawks veteran Carter made history against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday – checking in to a standing ovation.

Carter is in the midst of his record-breaking 22nd NBA season at the age of 42, surpassing Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis and Robert Parish.

An eight-time All-Star, Carter has been in the league since 1998 after he was drafted by the Toronto Raptors.

After lengthy stints with the Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets - then the New Jersey Nets - Carter has had short stops with the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.

Heading into Saturday's fixture, Carter has been averaging 5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game for the Hawks.

The 43-year-old made the announcement on Thursday during the Ringer's 'Winging It With Vince Carter' podcast.

"I'm officially done playing basketball professionally," Carter told co-host Annie Finberg.

Carter's last appearance came against the New York Knicks on March 11, the same night the NBA suspended play due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Since the end of March, I pretty much felt that it was over and that's kind of how I've handled it," Carter said. "It's unfortunate, but with the coronavirus, it was taking people's lives rapidly.

"That's the big picture in my mind so I was able to put the weird ending, the abrupt stoppage of play to an ending aside for the bigger picture."

Carter was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the fifth overall pick in 1998 before being sent to the Toronto Raptors in a draft-night deal. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season.

That was just the beginning for Carter in an incredible career filled with accomplishments in which he also played for the New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.

Carter became the only NBA player to play 22 seasons and the first to appear in a game in four different decades.

His 1,541 games are the third-most of all time, and he ranks 19th in league history with 25,728 points and sixth with 2,290 three-pointers.

Carter was an eight-time All-Star, won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2000 and helped the United States win the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

"When I played the game, I played to win," Carter said. "I had a smile on my face because I was thankful every day that I'm getting the opportunity to play in the NBA.

"I have never taken it for granted and I never will. Honestly, when you're walking away from it you appreciate the years you played even more."

Only the 22 teams with the best records will recommence the 2019-20 season in Florida, with the campaign already over for eight clubs, including Carter's Atlanta Hawks.

The 43-year-old became the first man to play an NBA game in four different decades this year, but he told the Ringer's 'Winging It With Vince Carter' podcast that he was "officially done playing basketball professionally".

Though 'Vinsanity' will not be afforded the farewell many of his peers received, we take a look at the eight-time All-Star's brilliant career using Stats Perform News numbers.

LONGEVITY

Carter entered the league in 1998 having been drafted fifth overall and he played in 50 games for the Toronto Raptors during a lockout-shortened campaign, during which he won Rookie of the Year.

Incredibly, the guard has barely missed any significant time over the past 22 years - only sitting out the final 22 games of the 2001-02 season and the start of the following term due to injury - and he started all 82 games for the New Jersey Nets in 2006-07.

In all, Carter has played 1,541 games, the third-most of all time and a total only Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can better, and he was only 20 appearances away from moving up to second on the list.

The honour of playing in the most NBA seasons does belong to Carter, though, as this campaign was his 22nd, one more than Parish, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Willis.

JOURNEYMAN

Unlike Dallas Mavericks icon Nowitzki - the NBA's ultimate one-team man - and Garnett, who represented only three clubs, Carter has called almost a third of the NBA home at one point or another.

After lengthy spells with the Raptors and Nets, Carter played for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings before arriving in Atlanta in 2018.

Of those to have played for eight NBA teams, Carter's 25,728 points are 6,314 more than anyone else, with Jamal Crawford next on that list ahead of Otis Thorpe and Willis.

Carter has played at least 50 games per season at each of those eight stops, another record he holds along with others such as Crawford and Matt Barnes.

POINTS

Naturally given such longevity, it is no surprise to see Carter flying high on all-time points lists too.

His 25,728 points are the 19th-most of all time, more than notable names such as Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley.

Moreover, Carter is a top-five scorer for two different franchises: the Nets (where he has the third-most points ever) and the Raptors (where he has the fourth-most). Others to own that distinction include Chris Bosh (the Raptors and Miami Heat) and LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers and Heat).

Carter's accuracy from beyond the arc certainly helped his numbers, as he drained 2,290 three-pointers - sixth-most of all time - from 6,168 attempts, the fifth-most of all time.

He may not get the rapturous send-off his career deserves, but Carter's impact on the NBA over the past two-and-a-bit decades has certainly been felt.