Fifteen years ago, Vince Carter, the dunk contest's savior, gave the world one of the best dunks ever at the 2000 Sydney Olympics:
On ESPN's True Hoop TV, host Michael Wallace gave Carter a chance to send a message to the poor man he dunked over in Sydney, Frederic Weis:
Wallace: "Now, one end is you making the dunk. The other end is Fred Weis, who was on the other end of the dunk. Fifteen years later, he has to hear this anniversary story as well, and we talked to him as well. He said that he learned that day that Vince Carter could fly. What would you say to Frederic Weis right now if you had a chance to talk to him 15 years later?
Carter: "I honestly don't know. You know, I guess check on his well-being, see how he's doing. I know he caught a lot of flack for it. I mean, you hear it every day ... when you're trying to get past a moment, when you're on the other end of it, it's tough ... I guess the first thing I would say is, 'Sorry?'
'Hey, how you doing? By the way, sorry?' [laughs] I dunno, I can't answer that."
So he sounds kinda sorry but in that holy-crap-how-could-I-actually-be-sorry-for-a-nasty-dunk-like-that kind of sorry. Sadly, according to The New York Times, Weis went through rough times, but he's currently OK.
You can read ESPN's extensive feature on Carter's dunk, which includes testimonials from NBA stars who witnessed it.
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SB Nation presents: You have to see this dunk to believe it