WAIKĪKĪ — As he stood on the balcony of his penthouse suite overlooking Waikīkī Beach, Anthony "AC" Carter still finds it hard to believe at times that this is where life has taken him.
Carter grew up in an unstable household, as his mother developed a drug habit and all seven of his uncles were incarcerated at some point in their lives. As a teenager in Atlanta, Carter dropped out of high school after his freshman year.
Basketball was Carter's refuge. He would interact with drug dealers, but only as a means to make money playing pickup ball. He eventually decided to pursue the sport on a more organized level, latching on at Saddleback Community College in California. From there, he earned a scholarship offer to play basketball for the University of Hawai‘i, where from 1996 to 1998, he became one of the most decorated players in program history.
Despite playing just two seasons in Mānoa, Carter scored 1,070 career points, just one of 18 players in program history to surpass 1,000. His 6.9 assists per game remain a program record. One of his most memorable moments in a UH uniform was his 19 points and seven assists in a 76-65 win over No. 2 Kansas on Dec. 30, 1997.
Although his individual honors included two All-Western Athletic Conference selections and two All-America honorable mentions, Carter was also remembered for being one half of a dynamic duo with backcourt mate Alika Smith.
Following his collegiate career, Smith joined the Yakima SunKings of the Continental Basketball Association before embarking on 13 seasons in the NBA, where he played for six different franchises (Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors).
Following his playing career, Carter went on to become a respected assistant coach in the league, where he was on the bench for the Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Heat, and most recently the Memphis Grizzlies in 2025.
Though Carter doesn't live in the Islands, he's currently back in his old stomping grounds. On Saturday, Carter will become just the second player in University of Hawai‘i men's basketball history to have his jersey number retired when his No. 23 goes up in the rafters as part of AC Carter night. Not bad for a guy who only attended high school for one year.
"It's been awesome to be back. I've seen a couple of familiar faces, and it's good to walk around and just bring back some memories," Carter said. "Being able to be back for this special moment is awesome and something that I never expected. Shout out to the coaching staff over there and some of the people that thought I was a good enough guy to get his jersey retired. It's been very special so far."
Normally during this time of year, Carter is stuck in grind of the NBA season. Though its been nearly three decades since he ascended way from the Islands to continue his basketball career, Carter has always been fond of his alma mater. In 2019, he donated $100,000 towards UH's scholarship fund.
Carter's jersey retirement ceremony will be held during the University of Hawai‘i's game against UC Santa Barbara at 5 p.m. on Saturday. The game will also be televised nationally on ESPNU.
"We're very fortunate here at UH to have some great former teams, former players, that put us in the position we are in today," Hawai‘i head coach Eran Ganot said. "He and his teams, incredible teams that sold out this arena more than any other team for any sport, and so I really hope we have a sellout for him and for our guys. There's a combination of things coming into this week, and we're honoring great players, great teams. ... We're going to do everything we can to continue to honor those."
As part of the week's festivities, Carter will also hold an autograph session following UH's 7 p.m. game against Cal Poly on Thursday. After Saturday, he will be just the second player in program history to have his jersey number retired, following Bob Nash. Carter will also visit the Rainbow Warriors during practice and offer his advice. Eager players are likely to ask him what it takes to make it to the NBA, and the answer he'll offer in that regard may surprise them.
"Never look at it as you're trying to make it to the NBA. That's the advice I will give players these days. Just go and play the game," Carter said. "Somebody's gonna find you, just like somebody found me and gave me a second chance to go to junior college. I just was playing the game. I wasn't expecting to be able to go back to school. Guys always say, 'I'm gonna make it to the NBA. I'm gonna do this,' it's a lot of pressure on different guys.
"I didn't have pressure because I was a high school dropout and I got a second chance. I never thought of seeing myself making it to the NBA. It was all about just having fun and bringing joy to people in junior college and the University of Hawai‘i.
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
