Vince Carter Donated $2.5 Million to University of North Carolina

As a show of gratitude for his act of generosity, UNC will name a building after Vince Carter. From the News Observer: “Letterman’s Lane,’ the brick walkway between the Smith Center and Koury Natatorium on North Carolina’s campus, will now be named for one basketball letterman in particular: Vince Carter. The school announced [Wednesday] that the former All America has made a $2.5 million donation to the Carolina Basketball Family Fund, which paid for the renovations to the Smith Center basketball offices in 2010 and will support the operating endowment for the men’s basketball program. It is the largest gift, to date, to the fund, earning him more than a brick on the walkway that honors every varsity player, coach, trainer and manager in the history of UNC basketball. ‘My days as a Carolina student, both pre-NBA and during the summers after I was drafted, will always be special to me,’ Carter said in a prepared statement. ‘It goes without saying that I am a Tar Heel. For several years, I have been thinking about something I could do to leave a legacy at UNC. Lettermen’s Lane is a perfect fit.’ Carter starred at Carolina from 1995-98, helping to the lead the Tar Heels to back-to-back NCAA Final Four appearances in 1997 and ’98. He left UNC to become an NBA lottery pick after his junior season, but returned to earn his degree in African Studies in 2001.”