Paul Pierce Claims Toronto Raptors Legend Was Supposed to be Next Michael Jordan

On a recent episode of Ticket and The Truth, Paul Pierce shared his thoughts on Vince Carter. During his career, Carter earned eight All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team selections.

After his first year with the Toronto Raptors, Carter won the 1999 Rookie of the Year Award. The following season, he was the leading scorer on the United States Men’s Basketball Team during their successful gold-medal campaign at the 2000 Olympics.

As captured by SHOWTIME Basketball, Pierce thought Carter was destined to reach Michael Jordan’s level of superstardom.

"Vince Carter was supposed to be the poster boy with Kobe Bryant," said Pierce. "He was supposed to lead us into the post-Michael Jordan era. ... He was supposed to be the next Jordan.

The former Boston Celtics forward expressed that it was difficult to guard Carter.

"He was a nightmare. That was the one (and) only player that I felt like I was on an island with no water, no food, and my clothes were dirty. I've been out there for like 10 days. That's what I felt like when I was on that isolation with Vince Carter because when you're not playing against him and you see those highlights… you're like 'damn' for a good 10 minutes."

Carter still holds numerous Toronto Raptors franchise records, including the record for ‘most points scored in a season’. He is also the NBA’s all-time leader in seasons played, with a total of 22.

Warning: The following video contains the use of profanity. It is linked here.

Further Reading

Derrick White Discusses His 'Horrible' Second Half, C's 3rd Qtr. Struggles After Loss to Pacers

Tyrese Haliburton, Another Sloppy 3rd Qtr., Propel Pacers Past Celtics in In-Season Tournament

Former Celtics Assess If Boston Needs to Make Move to Help Title Pursuit

Joe Mazzulla Praises Payton Pritchard's Fourth-Quarter Performance in C's Win vs. 76ers

Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Earned Ugly Win vs. 76ers

Celtics Share Their Perspective of NBA's Flawed but Successful In-Season Tournament

An Empowered Jaylen Brown Strives to Balance Scoring with Playmaking: 'I've Grown A Lot'

Celtics' Loss to Magic Highlights Their Most Concerning Traits

Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis Discuss Their Quickly Cultivated Chemistry: 'An Automatic Connection'

Joe Mazzulla Believes Celtics' Second Unit is 'Starting to Develop an Identity'

Under Joe Mazzulla, Celtics Rebuilding Brotherhood Between Past and Present