Vince Carter said he could never replicate his incredible dunk over a 7-foot-2 opponent
Friday marked the 15th anniversary of basketball's most incredible slam dunk. During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Vince Carter famously scored by somehow jumping right over France's Frédéric Weis, who is 7 feet 2 inches tall.
In case you need a refresher:
To commemorate the occasion, ESPN compiled a delightful oral history of how it all went down, complete with interviews from Carter and Weis and accounts from other players, coaches, and reporters who were lucky enough to witness the historic play.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"We'd mess around in practice, and I'd try to jump over [my teammates]," Carter said. "I'd trip over guys or fall. I just could never do it the same."
Carter, who is now gearing up for his 18th NBA season, said the dunk didn't really sink in until after the game, when he watched it seven times on a spectator's personal camcorder.
Weis said he closed his eyes during the dunk, and who can blame him?
Leave it to the losing player to keep things in perspective: "It was great," Weis said. "But at the end of the day, it was just two points."
Get the entire story behind those iconic two points here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?
Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 wins
speed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughter
speed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published