From Playground to the Hall of Fame
Carter was an electric guard for Saddleback College
From where Anthony Carter started too today is an incredible story.
Born in Milwaukee, Carter played as a freshman on the varsity team at Alonzo A. Crim High School in Atlanta. However, after his freshman year, Carter quit high school. In the years following, Carter spent his time playing basketball for money in Atlanta.
He told the Rocky Mountain News how, "The dope man would put up the money, and we would play. We used to play for the drug dealers. That's how we were going to make our money. We didn't sell the drugs ... (I used the money) to buy shoes and food. That was the only way we could eat.”
He added that during his teenage years, his mother was on drugs, and all seven of his uncles were at one point in prison. Ultimately, his community came to his rescue, helping him get a GED and enroll in college.
He arrived at Saddleback College and quickly stood out. As a freshman he averaged 19.4 points. By his sophomore year everyone knew his name. He led the state in scoring, averaging 27.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3 steals. He had a season-high 44 points.
A 6-1, 185-pound guard, Carter went on to become a two-time most valuable player in the Orange Empire Conference, considered the elite conference in the state during that time. A member of Saddleback College’s Hall of Fame, Carter signed with the University of Hawaii where he became part of the best backcourt in Rainbow history from 1996 to 1998.
He went to play 13 years in the NBA despite being undrafted free agent with Miami. Carter spent the first four seasons of his playing career with the Heat, appearing in 246 regular season games (80 starts) and averaging 5.5 points, 4.3 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.06 steals and 22.2 minutes. His 1,063 assists as a member of the Heat rank in the top 15 on the franchise’s all-time list. Carter also helped Miami earn a pair of postseason appearances. His playing career which spanned 623 career games (181 starts) and included stops in Miami, San Antonio, Minnesota, Denver, New York and Toronto.
Many New York Knick fans remember him as the guy who came out of nowhere to beat their team at the buzzer in Game 3 of the 2000 Eastern Conference semifinals. After concluding his playing career, Carter became an assistant coach with the Sioux Falls Skyforce in 2016. Today, he serves as the Miami Heat’s director of Player Development.