Vince Carter was approved as a minority owner of the Buffalo Bills in December. It isn't just a monetary investment for the NBA legend. He's into it.
DAYTONA BEACH — Vince Carter is talking about rooms.
“Obviously want to get our running back room locked up, and we can,” he said, alluding to James Cook’s contract dispute. “I think he's a huge part of what we do.”
A few sentences later:
“So I think just getting our defense on the same page is paramount because if we get stops, we feel really good about our wide receiver room, which obviously everybody talked about was a key,” he said. “I think we addressed that in a great way.”
Yes, that is Vince Carter, the eight-time NBA All-Star, 2024 Naismith Hall of Famer and new NBC analyst, breaking down the Buffalo Bills’ football roster. But it’s also Vince Carter, new NFL team owner.
Carter became a minority stakeholder along with fellow basketball legend Tracy McGrady, former U.S. men’s soccer star Jozy Altidore and seven others in December. And this isn’t just a “throw in some money and forget about it” type of deal for Carter.
He’s hooked.
“I feel like if I'm going to invest in it, I want to be knowledgeable and know as much as I can,” Carter told The News-Journal during his annual youth basketball camp in Daytona Beach last week. “I treat this like me as a player, coming in and learning nuances. This is one in the same.”
How proficient is he?
“I’m getting there,” he said.
NBA legend Vince Carter never imagined owning NFL team
Carter had long been interested in sports ownership.
During and after his basketball career, he met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressing that sentiment, but no teams were available at the time. Mostly, he just wanted to put himself on the league’s radar.
Then, his cousin, McGrady, called about the NFL opportunity.
For the first time in franchise history, Buffalo and its owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, were looking to add minority stakeholders. Carter was open to it.
“I'm thrilled to be a part of it,” he said. “I never imagined in my wildest dreams of being a part of an ownership group in football. Luckily, I played it (until after my freshman year at Mainland High School), so I feel comfortable being in it. But I didn't think this opportunity would come about, and it did.”
Vince Carter already had Josh Allen relationship before joining Buffalo Bills
When he bought into the Bills, Carter already knew their biggest star.
He and Josh Allen had participated together a few times in the American Century Championship, a celebrity golf tournament on the shores of Lake Tahoe.
Carter saw Allen at last year’s event while in the process of finalizing his agreement with Buffalo. On the final day, he told the All-Pro quarterback, “Possibly, I’ll see you soon,” but left it at that.
“That's really all I could say to him at the time because obviously we were still figuring it out,” Carter said. “And he's like, ‘Oh, OK, cool.’ And then I show up to camp, and he's like, ‘Oh, OK. I get it now.’ It's cool. He was excited for me.”
Carter also visited Allen and Co. in Orchard Park for organized team activities in May. He plans to head back up soon for training camp, as long as he gets some free time.
“I've sat with the GM, president, owner, the big boss,” Carter said. “I've sat with everybody, and we've had conversations, and I just listen and learn. I don't just want to have a name on it. I want to be involved.”
Vince Carter likes Buffalo Bills’ 2025 chances
Carter’s busy schedule continues.
Within the last year, he’s been enshrined into the Naismith Hall of Fame, had his jersey number retired by the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets, served as a part-time color commentator for both of those squads and graced the Hall of Fame edition cover of NBA 2K25.
This fall, he’ll start his gig as an NBA analyst on NBC. He’s still sneaking in a good amount of golf, too.
The upcoming season is a crucial one for the Bills. They enter as the AFC East favorites — after winning the division each of the last five years — and Super Bowl contenders following an AFC Championship Game appearance in January. Allen is coming off an MVP campaign.
How does Carter view their chances?
“I like what we’re doing,” he said. “... Feeling good, feeling confident. Nice pieces that we've drafted and got in free agency.”
How does he like his new role?
“I love it.”
If you couldn’t tell.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: New Buffalo Bills part owner Vince Carter wants to stay involved
Category: Football
