Vince Carter Criticizes NBA's Social Media Habits

Vince Carter has taken aim at the NBA's current generation, saying too many players check social media at half-time instead of watching the video breakdown.

The Hall of Famer, now 49, made the remarks in an interview looking back on his 22 years in the league. He said the habit was one of the things he found hardest to accept once he reached the veteran stage of his career.

"Modern guys get too caught up in what's being said on these social networks. That was, I'd say, the most frustrating thing for me by year 22, walking into the locker room. So we go back to the locker room at half-time. There's a big screen there. They're showing clips from the game. These guys don't even pay attention. They're sitting on their phones, and what motivates them is who's saying what about them on social media. What about what's being shown in the reel, and what's being thought in the locker room itself? That was one of the toughest parts for me. I'd grown up, a different generation. So social media was never something serious for me. I didn't need to worry about it. Once the game started, I was at work," Carter said.

He went further, questioning why players let outside opinion affect them at all: "Why does what's said about you bother you so much? Those people weren't with you at practice. Half of them have no idea about your journey, the struggle, the dedication and the sacrifices you made."

His comments reflect a recurring complaint from players of his era about the pull of phones and public opinion on a generation that grew up with both.