Early in his career with the Raptors, Vince Carter used to play one-on-one against the young son of a veteran teammate, and it wasn't all fun and games. Carter made the little kid work.

He forced Stephen Curry to put some arch on his shot.

"I mean, I wasn't gonna let him," Carter says of giving Steph a clean release. "He could definitely shoot the ball, and Dell had them working on their form and their shot all the time and look at them today."

Dell, Steph's dad and a former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, served as an important mentor for Carter. But Carter is actually closer in age to Stephen (11 years) than to Dell (12.5 years). Dell played with Carter from 1999-2002, while Stephen was 11-14. Steph got some pretty good work in at Air Canada Centre.

"Before my workouts, before every home game, I would work out and I would play Steph one-on-one before the games," Carter remembers.

"He was good then. I mean, you could tell. He'd been around basketball. We were at practice, he was always just dribbling the ball and he was just anxious to play. He was just anxious to be on the court. And Seth was the same thing, he was just a little younger. But [Steph] was just 'You ready to play, you ready to play?' I was like, 'All right, give me a second and I'll be there and here he is today.'"

On Wednesday, Carter, 40, set off rumors of a potential reunion with Stephen Curry. Carter, who spent the past three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, is a free agent who intends to continue playing. While appearing on ESPN's The Jump, Carter was asked about the possibility of joining the Warriors. He said he is "open for it."

Curry then liked and commented, "Me likey!" on an Instagram of Carter and Dell posted by a Warriors blog. Steph could use the competition in warmups.

Carter was in New York City on Thursday morning, working with Verizon for the NBA Draft. On Thursday night at Barclays Center, Verizon customers with unlimited plans can visit the brand's booth and meet Carter and get a phone case made out of NBA basketballs. Fans can also have the same experience by switching to Verizon or upgrading on the spot.

Carter was the No. 5 pick in the 1998 draft by the Warriors. He was traded on draft night to the Raptors in a deal that sent fellow North Carolina Tar Heel Antawn Jamison the opposite way.

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