Paul Carter (basketball)

Paul Carter
Born	(1987-06-02) June 2, 1987 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player (retired)
Years active	2011–2021

Paul Mazique Carter (born June 2, 1987) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. His collegiate basketball tenure included playing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the UIC Flames.

Early life and high school career

Born in Los Angeles, California on June 2, 1987, Carter is the son of Ron, who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers. Carter played high school basketball initially in Los Angeles before moving to New Orleans, Louisiana for his senior year. Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, he relocated to Arkansas, where he completed his high school education at Mills High School in Little Rock.

College career

Carter's college basketball journey began at Missouri State University–West Plains during the 2007–08 season after transferring from Connors State College, prompted by a coaching change. Although his debut was hampered by a sports hernia, he managed to average 12 points and 9 rebounds that season.

After impressing at a summer camp in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he was recruited by Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Tubby Smith. Without visiting the campus beforehand, Carter committed to the program and overcame early academic ineligibility to join the squad for the 2008–09 season. He recorded a personal best of 22 points against the Indiana Hoosiers, finishing the season with averages of 5.3 points and a team-leading 4.5 rebounds per game.

In December 2009, Carter contemplated transferring to be nearer to his younger sister in Chicago, who was battling osteosarcoma. As a sign of solidarity, his teammates shaved their heads during a February 2010 game. Throughout his junior year, he averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest.

On May 6, 2010, Carter made the decision to transfer to the UIC Flames. Coach Smith characterized him as "the heart and soul" of his previous team and anticipated that Carter would emerge as a leader at UIC. Receiving a hardship waiver allowed him immediate eligibility for the 2010–11 season. Early that season, he twice achieved a new career-high of 24 points. Starting in 30 out of 31 games, he posted averages of 14.7 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, earning recognition on the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team.

Professional career

Prior to the 2011 NBA draft, Carter participated in workouts with several NBA franchises including the Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Milwaukee Bucks, but ultimately was not selected.

He launched his professional career in Cyprus playing for Proteas EKA AEL. On December 13, 2011, Carter signed with the Utah Jazz, pending international clearance from FIBA. Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin praised him as an outstanding athlete and experimented with positioning him at small forward instead of his usual power forward role. Carter was waived on December 21, 2011. Subsequently, on December 28, he joined the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League. After being waived for personal reasons in March 2012, he was reacquired three days later. Over 34 games with Idaho, he averaged 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds.

Returning to the Stampede for the following season (2012–13), Carter's playing time decreased significantly; in nine games he averaged just 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds before being traded to the Santa Cruz Warriors on January 2, 2013, followed by a trade to the Springfield Armor five days later.

In January 2014, Carter signed with Israeli side Elitzur Ashkelon competing in the Liga Leumit, where he averaged 15.1 points and grabbed 7.5 rebounds across eight games. During the subsequent season (2014–15), he played for Finnish club Korikobrat, leading that league with an average of 12.5 rebounds per game while ranking second in scoring at 19.6 points per game. On August 5, 2015, Carter inked a deal with France’s Antibes Sharks of the LNB Pro A, posting averages of 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds.

On September 12, 2016, amid injuries within their roster, German outfit Alba Berlin signed Carter to a three-month contract. Later that year in December, he joined New Zealand’s New Zealand Breakers competing in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) as an injury replacement; over eleven games he averaged 9.1 points and 4.5 rebounds. In February 2017, Carter moved back to France signing with Hyeres-Toulon.

Continuing his career in France with LNB Pro A's Champagne Châlons-Reims Basket starting August 2017, Carter transferred to Latvian team VEF Rīga in February 2018. In June of that year, he signed with Belgian club Limburg United competing in the country's top-tier Pro Basketball League.

On September 30, 2019, Carter joined French second division side Saint-Chamond, averaging solid numbers of 14.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest. Although Saint-Chamond aimed to retain him for another season, COVID-19 related travel restrictions between France and the United States complicated contract negotiations. On July 2, 2021, Carter signed with French LNB Pro B team STB Le Havre.

External links

• Collegiate statistics
• Profile on Proballers