Onetime Nets Dikembe Mutombo and Vince Carter still inspire

The Nets had two former greats in the news this week for very different reasons, both magical and tragic.

Vince Carter is set to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame next weekend, the culmination of a high-flying career that has inspired many.

And Dikembe Mutombo – who was previously enshrined in Springfield in 2015 – died this week from cancer, having inspired as many people with his humanitarian efforts as he did with his play.

Although they never overlapped on the Nets and had very different stints – Carter their third all-time leading scorer, Mutombo playing only two dozen games – both left lasting imprints on the franchise and memories among fans.