Paul Carter (born June 2, 1987) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for

STB Le Havre Saint Thomas Basket Le Havre or simply STB Le Havre is a basketball club based in city of Le Havre, France that plays in the Pro B division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB). Their home arena is Dock Océane.Allen Mack Jr. JPMorgan * R ...

of the

LNB Pro B The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the 2nd-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since the year 1987. The regular season ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Minnesota Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and competes in the Big Te ...

and

UIC Flames The UIC Flames are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Chicago, located in Chicago, Illinois, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

Early life and high school career

Carter was born on June 2, 1987, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. His father,

Ron Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in ''Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

, played two seasons in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA) for the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers. Carter played high school basketball in Los Angeles until he relocated to

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, for his senior season. When Hurricane Katrina hit, he moved again to

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

and graduated from

Mills High School Mills High School is a public high school in Millbrae, California, one of seven in the San Mateo Union High School District. Mills was established in 1958. Mills High School has been named a California Distinguished School three times (1988, 199 ...

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

College career

Carter was to begin his

career at

Connors State College Connors State College is a public community college in Warner and Muskogee, Oklahoma. History The college was founded as an agricultural high school in 1908 and was quickly converted to a school of agriculture. When Oklahoma became a state ...

but transferred due to a head coaching change. He instead commenced his career at

Missouri State University–West Plains Missouri State University–West Plains is a public community college in West Plains, Missouri. It is a separately accredited campus of Missouri State University. The fall 2018 enrollment was 1,869 students. Established in 1963, Missouri State Un ...

during the 2007–08 season. He debuted with a 1-for-12 shooting performance due to playing with a

sports hernia Athletic pubalgia, also called sports hernia, core injury, hockey hernia, hockey groin, Gilmore's groin, or groin disruption is a medical condition of the Pubic symphysis, pubic joint affecting athletes. It is a syndrome characterized by chronic ...

that then sidelined him for a month. Carter averaged 12 points and 9 rebounds in his one season at West Plains. Carter was spotted by

head coach

Tubby Smith Orlando Henry "Tubby" Smith (born June 30, 1951) is an American college basketball coach. He was the men's basketball coach at High Point University, his alma mater. Smith previously served in the same role at the University of Tulsa, the Univer ...

while playing at a summer camp in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. Carter was so impressed by Smith and the Golden Gophers that he did not make a visit to the campus before he committed to the program. Carter was initially academically ineligible to transfer to Minnesota and practiced alone on the West Plains campus until he passed additional classes prior to the 2008–09 season. He joined the Golden Gophers in August 2008. Carter scored a career-high 22 points in a game against the

Indiana Hoosiers The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Ath ...

on February 10, 2009. He averaged 5.3 points and a team-high 4.5 rebounds per game. In December 2009, Carter began considering a transfer from Minnesota when his younger sister, who lived in Chicago, was diagnosed with

osteosarcoma An osteosarcoma (OS) or osteogenic sarcoma (OGS) (or simply bone cancer) is a cancerous tumor in a bone. Specifically, it is an aggressive malignant neoplasm that arises from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin (and thus a sarcoma ...

. He wanted to be close to her during her chemotherapy and considered colleges in the Chicago area. Carter and his teammates shaved their heads to honor his sister during a February 19, 2010, game against the

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...

. Carter averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his junior season. On May 6, 2010, the

announced that Carter had transferred to the program. Smith called Carter "the heart and soul of our basketball team" and believed that he would become the leader of the Flames. UIC were granted a hardship waiver that made Carter immediately eligible for the 2010–11 season. He set a new career-high in points with 24 against the

Roosevelt Lakers Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The uni ...

on November 15, 2010, and then matched it six days later during a game against the

Rhode Island Rams The Rhode Island Rams are the athletic programs of the University of Rhode Island, based in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. The Rams compete in the NCAA's Division I as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The football team, howev ...

. Carter started 30 of 31 games and averaged 14.7 points, 8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game during his only season with the Flames. He was named to the

Horizon League The Horizon League is an 11-school collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, whose members are located in and near the Great Lakes region. The Horizon League founded in 1979 as the Midw ...

All-Newcomer Team.

Professional career

Carter worked out with the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

, Golden State Warriors,

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

and

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

of the

(NBA) prior to the 2011 NBA draft but went undrafted. Carter began his career in Cyprus with

Proteas EKA AEL ) , logo = AEL Limassol BC logo.png , leagues = Cyprus Basketball Division A , founded = , arena = Nicos Solomonides , capacity= 2,500 , location = Limassol, Cyprus , colors = Yellow and Blue , ...

. On December 13, 2011, he signed with the

. The confirmation of his signing was delayed while

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

verified Carter held no contractual obligations that would stop him from playing in the NBA. Jazz head coach

Tyrone Corbin Tyrone Kennedy Corbin (born December 31, 1962) is an American former basketball player and assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets. He was first appointed the assistant coach of the Phoenix Suns, then was named the Utah Jazz’s head coach, on Fe ...

considered Carter to be a "tremendous athlete" and wanted to experiment with him as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

instead of his natural

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

. He was waived by the Jazz on December 21, 2011. On December 28, 2011, Carter signed with the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

of the

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

. He was waived by the Stampede due to personal reasons on March 11, 2012, but was reacquired three days later. Carter averaged 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 34 games played. Carter returned to the Stampede for the 2012–13 season. His role dwindled as he averaged 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in nine games. On January 2, 2013, Carter was traded to the

Santa Cruz Warriors The Santa Cruz Warriors are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Santa Cruz, California, and are affiliated with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors play their home games at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Prior t ...

for

Carlon Brown Carlon Michael Brown (born October 4, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Utah and Colorado before playing professionally in Israel and Germany. He was the 2013–14 top scorer in the Israe ...

and a fourth round pick in the 2013 NBA D-League draft. On January 7, 2013, he was traded to the

Springfield Armor Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queensl ...

with a fifth round pick in the 2013 NBA D-League draft for Shawn Taggart. Carter signed with Elitzur Ashkelon of the

Liga Leumit Liga Leumit ( he, ליגה לאומית, lit. ''National League'') is the second division of the Israeli Football League, and below its Premier League. Structure There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the two lowest-place ...

in January 2014. He averaged 15.1 points and 7.5 rebounds in eight games played until his departure in February 2014. Carter played for

Korikobrat Kobrat is a Finnish professional basketball team from Lapua. The team plays in Korisliiga, the highest tier of Finnish basketball. History The club was founded in 1989 as 'Lapuan Koripojat', shortly 'LaKoPo', but was renamed 'Korikobrat' in 2000. ...

during the 2014–15 season and led the league in rebounds per game with 12.5. He also ranked second in points per game with 19.6. On August 5, 2015, Carter signed with the

Antibes Sharks Olympique Antibes, in full ''Olympique d'Antibes Juan-les-Pins'' and branded as Antibes Sharks, is a basketball club from the city of Antibes, France. Established in 1933, the club's men's senior team currently plays in LNB Pro B, the French secon ...

of the LNB Pro A. He averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Carter signed a three-month contract with Alba Berlin of the Basketball Bundesliga on September 12, 2016, while the team suffered a player shortage due to injuries. On December 28, 2016, Carter signed with the

New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Sky Sport Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at ...

of the Australian National Basketball League as an injury replacement for

Corey Webster Corey Jonas Webster (born March 2, 1982) is a former American football cornerback who played for the New York Giants. He was drafted by the Giants in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft and later won two Super Bowls with the team, both ove ...

. The move united him with good friend

Akil Mitchell Akil Anthony Mitchell (born June 26, 1992) is an American-Panamanian professional basketball player for AEK B.C., AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League and the Basketball Champions League. He played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers me ...

, who had encouraged Carter to play in New Zealand. He averaged 9.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 11 games played. At the conclusion of the NBL season, he signed with Hyeres-Toulon of the LNB Pro A on February 26, 2017. Carter signed with

Champagne Châlons-Reims Basket Champagne Basket is a French professional basketball club that is based in both the cities of Reims and Châlons-en-Champagne. The club was established in 2010 as part of the union between the old clubs of Reims Champagne Basket club (RCB) and the ...

of the LNB Pro A on August 13, 2017. He left the team to join VEF Rīga in February 2018. Carter signed with

Limburg United Limburg United, for sponsorship reasons named Hubo Limburg United, is a professional basketball club based in Hasselt, Limburg (Belgium), Limburg, Belgium. Founded in 2014, the club plays in the BNXT League, the first tier of basketball in Belgiu ...

of the

Pro Basketball League The Pro Basketball League (PBL), was the highest tier level professional basketball league in Belgium for sports clubs, clubs. In 2021, the league was succeeded by the Belgian-Dutch BNXT League. Through 2014, for sponsorship reasons, the league ...

on June 23, 2018. On September 30, 2019, he joined

Saint-Chamond St Chamond may refer to: * Saint Chamond otherwise Annemund, bishop of Lyon * Saint-Chamond, Loire, a French town named after him * Saint-Chamond (manufacturer), informal name for the ''Compagnie des forges et aciéries de la marine et d'Homécour ...

of the

. Carter averaged 14.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Chamond-Basket expressed a desire to resign Carter for the 2020–21 season but were concerned about quarantine issues related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

as he travelled between France and the United States. On July 2, 2021, Carter signed with

of the LNB Pro B.

References

External links