Fansided

Vince Carter meets fan who travelled 14 hours to see him

By Matt Rutkowski

Nov 23, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Vince Carter (15) defends as Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) looks to inbound the ball during the second overtime quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. The Memphis Grizzlies won 104-99 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Vince Carter (15) defends as Philadelphia 76ers forward Dario Saric (9) looks to inbound the ball during the second overtime quarter of the game at the Wells Fargo Center. The Memphis Grizzlies won 104-99 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pictured above: Vince Carter acting like an airplane. Zoom!

I guess I’m a lazy human being. Sometimes I feel like the 45 minute drive from where I live to the Palace of Auburn Hills is too much to justify. Plus, paying for tickets is a hassle, and money is hard to spend on things when you spend it on other things. But I think I love basketball. And I think I love my favorite players.

https://twitter.com/memgrizz/status/799785874183557120

Now I’m starting to think I might be wrong. Fourteen hours on a plane to see your favorite player is more than I’m capable of. I’m sorry, Andre Drummond, but if you were playing fourteen hours away I would remain in my comfy computer chair with pajama pants on should I deign to wear pants.

It’s nice that Vince’s fan got a shout-out on his team’s official Twitter. That’d be a fun thing to share upon return. But it got better!

Gratitude from The Vince himself, and a game-worn (probably) Vince headband. If you’re coming to a foreign country, it’s always nice to bring back souvenirs. I once brought back some change from Canada.

It’d be a nice story if it stopped there. But it doesn’t stop there. And neither did she.

She did some more plane stuff and got some more Vince love. This is a thing that’s been wading through more than a decade of fantasy. Those signs are adorable, and that last picture is touching. Wouldn’t it be great if we could see that moment in action?

Through the miracle of pictures that move around, we can.

This might be the sweetest basketball thing I’ve ever seen, from her covering her mouth in disbelief to a group of fans she doesn’t know and will never see again cheering her moment on. It’s all so incredibly heartwarming.

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It’d be great if every fan could have a moment like this, but for those of us too comfortable to discover our own, vicarious happiness has to be enough. Luckily, it often is. I’m overflowing.

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