BEFORE THE NBA
Zach LaVine Zachary LaVine was born March 10th,1995 in Renton, Washington. His parents, Paul LaVine and Cheryl Johnson-LaVine were both athletes. His dad played pro football, while his mom played college softball.
LaVine played three seasons of varsity ball at Bothell High School in the state of Washington. He averaged 28.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists during his senior year.
LaVine was named Mr. Basketball of Washington, the Associated Press Washington State Player of the Year, and was a member of the Parade All-America Basketball First Team.
After high school, he attended UCLA for one year. Unfortunately, LaVine was on a Bruins team filled with guards, which included Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson, and Norman Powell. That season LaVine started just one game.
In his only college season, LaVine averaged 9.4 points and 2.5 assists. He shot 37.5 percent from the 3-point line. Although he was a reserve player, he helped the Bruins win the Pac-12 Tournament and advance to the Sweet 16. LaVine only scored in double digits once in that run, but he made the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. Soon after, he decided to put his name into the 2014 NBA Draft. He was drafted 13th in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Now, let's look at the other side of the NBA player comparison of Zach LaVine.
Vince Carter
Vince Carter was born Vincent Lamar Carter in Daytona Beach, FL on January 26, 1977. Growing up, he was the only seventh grader to ever play on Campbell Junior High School’s varsity basketball team as a starter.
Carter scored more than 2,200 points in his high school career (813 in his junior year alone), recorded more than 985 rebounds and 335 assists, and led his team to a Class 6A State Championship in 1995
High school honors include USA Today, Parade, and McDonald’s All-American and was voted Florida’s 1995 Basketball Player-of-the-Year. In 1995, Carter was voted to the USA Junior National Team where he played in the World Championships.
Carter attended the University of North Carolina from 1995 through 1998. In his junior season, Vince Carter earned the best field goal percentage and the defensive player of the year awards. He averaged 15 points, 5 rebounds, and almost 2 assists that year.
Carter helped the Tarheels make it to the final four in 1997 and 1998. He was the leading scorer in both games. Although he did not win, Carter was a finalist for the “John Wooden Award” and the National Player of the Year Award.
Vince Carter was the fifth selection in the 1998 NBA draft and was drafted by Golden State. Surprisingly, the Warriors traded him to the Toronto Raptors on draft night.
NBA STATS AND ACCOLADES
What does Basketball Reference say?
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What does StatMuse say about Zach LaVine and Vince Carter?
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