There's a gentle irony in the play of Vince Carter, the leading shooter and second-leading scorer for the undefeated U.S. basketball team, which moves Monday into the second round of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico.

Carter is on the team as a replacement for Kobe Bryant, the player who eclipsed Carter in the hearts and minds of NBA fans as the next great thing in pro basketball.
"This is a chance for me to jump-start getting back on the court and get back to the old ways," Carter said. "I have my confidence, still have my spring, still have my jump shot. Everything is like I want it to be."

But things hadn't been like Carter wanted. His NBA stardom seemed a slam dunk after his phenomenal performance in the dunk contest at the 2000 All-Star Game. Carter led the U.S. team to the gold medal in the 2000 Olympics, then averaged a career-high 27.6 points for the Toronto Raptors the next season and received the most fan votes for the All-Star Game.