Who

The talented, pouty shooting guard for the New Jersey Nets, Carter is known for his spectacular dunks.

Backstory

Raised in Daytona Beach, Carter came to attention when he played for the UNC Tar Heels, leading the team to two Final Fours during his three seasons. In 1998, he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors and then traded to the Toronto Raptors, where he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1999. His scoring ability and spectacular dunks led some to call him the Air Apparent to His Airness Michael Jordan: In 2000, Carter won the Slam Dunk Competition, and his spread-eagle dunk over 7'2 French center and future Knicks bust Frederick Weis during the 2000 Olympics was dubbed "le dunk de la mort," or "the dunk of death."

But Carter became sulky and his on-court performance turned lethargic as Toronto turned in consistently mediocre seasons, and he began lobbying to be traded. The Raptors dealt him and his $16 million annual contract to the Nets before the 2005 season. He instantly became the biggest scoring threat on a talented Nets team that also features point guard Jason Kidd and forward Richard Jefferson. He'll be with the team through 2011: In July 2007, Carter signed a 4-year $61.8 million contract with the Nets.

Of note

Although his scoring prowess has never been in doubt, "Vinsanity" has never turned into the second coming of Michael Jordan as promised. He's widely perceived as soft, failing to fight through physical defense or play good defense in turn, and is known as a prima donna who'll pout when he's not getting the treatment he wants. Perhaps the defining moment of his career came in 2001, when he flew to his UNC graduation the morning of a Game 7 against Philadelphia that would decide who went to the NBA finals. That night, Carter played poorly and missed a potential game-winning shot with two seconds left, leading to charges that he had failed his teammates.

On the side

Vince co-owns a club called Inside in Toronto, where he and his business partner also recently opened the even more exclusive Kai Lounge, which is named for Carter's daughter. Oddly for a club owner, however, Carter doesn't drink.

Personal

Carter and wife Ellen filed for divorce in 2006, just two years after they were married. (She's a chiropractor; they met in college.) They have one daughter, Kai Michelle Carter, who was born in 2005. The Nets star lives in a Saddle River, NJ, mansion just down the street from teammate Jason Kidd. During the off season, he stays at his 35,000 square foot house in Isleworth, a gated community in Windermere, Florida, which is also home to athletes including Tiger Woods, Shaquille O'Neal and Ken Griffey Jr. When Carter was traded from the Raptors, he sold his Toronto condo to Blue Jays pitcher A. J. Burnett for $2.8 million.

Family ties

His cousin is current Houston Rockets superstar Tracy McGrady, who was Carter's sidekick in Toronto. Vince's younger brother, Chris, has had several run-ins with the law, including felony drug convictions.