Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Last Sunday night much was made about Dirk Nowitzki scoring his 25,000 point in his career. Dirk is the silent leader for the Dallas Mavericks. He’s always been the player that will lead by example and show his teammates the direction to go. Something happened on Monday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, though, that didn’t get the same publicity as Dirk’s 25,000 point.
In the first quarter, Vince Carter made a layup to give him five points for the night. With that layup, he passed Clyde Drexler for 27th place on the all time scoring list in NBA history. Although his age is catching up to him some and he has traveled around the league quite a bit, this is a testament to how good Carter has been in his career. At one time, he was the high-flying dunk artist from the University of North Carolina.
Although his role is much different now, and he’s not the number one scoring option for Dallas, his veteran leadership is still something he brings every night. Whether it’s in the locker room or out on the floor, Carter has no problem getting into the faces of his teammates and telling them what they are doing wrong. Moving past Drexler on the scoring list is a huge accomplishment for a guy that’s been in the league for a long time and plays the game the right way.
Greg Higgins is a Dallas Mavericks writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @greghiggins457, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
