Carter was to begin his college basketball career at Connors State College but transferred due to a head coaching change.[4] He instead commenced his career at Missouri State University–West Plains during the 2007–08 season.[2] He debuted with a 1-for-12 shooting performance due to playing with a sports hernia that then sidelined him for a month.[2] Carter averaged 12 points and 9 rebounds in his one season at West Plains.[2]
Carter was spotted by Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Tubby Smith while playing at a summer camp in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[4] 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.[5] 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.[2] He joined the Golden Gophers in August 2008.[5] Carter scored a career-high 22 points in a game against the Indiana Hoosiers on February 10, 2009.[1] He averaged 5.3 points and a team-high 4.5 rebounds per game.[1]
In December 2009, Carter began considering a transfer from Minnesota when his younger sister, who lived in Chicago, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma.[6] He wanted to be close to her during her chemotherapy and considered colleges in the Chicago area.[7] Carter and his teammates shaved their heads to honor his sister during a February 19, 2010, game against the Wisconsin Badgers.[8] Carter averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his junior season.[7]
On May 6, 2010, the UIC Flames announced that Carter had transferred to the program.[7] Smith called Carter "the heart and soul of our basketball team" and believed that he would become the leader of the Flames.[9] UIC were granted a hardship waiver that made Carter immediately eligible for the 2010–11 season.[6][7] He set a new career-high in points with 24 against the Roosevelt Lakers on November 15, 2010, and then matched it six days later during a game against the Rhode Island Rams.[1] 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 All-Newcomer Team.[1]
Carter began his career in Cyprus with Proteas EKA AEL. On December 13, 2011, he signed with the Utah Jazz.[3] The confirmation of his signing was delayed while FIBA verified Carter held no contractual obligations that would stop him from playing in the NBA.[12] Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin considered Carter to be a "tremendous athlete" and wanted to experiment with him as a small forward instead of his natural power forward.[12] He was waived by the Jazz on December 21, 2011.[13] On December 28, 2011, Carter signed with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA D-League.[14] He was waived by the Stampede for personal reasons on March 11, 2012, but was reacquired three days later.[15] Carter averaged 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 34 games played.[16]
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.[16] On January 2, 2013, Carter was traded to the Santa Cruz Warriors for Carlon Brown and a fourth round pick in the 2013 NBA D-League draft.[16] On January 7, 2013, he was traded to the Springfield Armor with a fifth round pick in the 2013 NBA D-League draft for Shawn Taggart.[17]
Carter signed with Elitzur Ashkelon of the Liga Leumit in January 2014. He averaged 15.1 points and 7.5 rebounds in eight games played until his departure in February 2014.[18]
Carter played for Korikobrat 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.[19] On August 5, 2015, Carter signed with the Antibes Sharks of the LNB Pro A.[19] He averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.[20]
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.[20] On December 28, 2016, Carter signed with the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League as an injury replacement for Corey Webster.[21] The move united him with good friend Akil Mitchell, who had encouraged Carter to play in New Zealand.[21] He averaged 9.1 points and 4.5 rebounds in 11 games played.[22] At the conclusion of the NBL season, he signed with Hyeres-Toulon of the LNB Pro A on February 26, 2017.[22]
Carter signed with Limburg United of the Pro Basketball League on June 23, 2018.[24] On September 30, 2019, he joined Saint-Chamond of the LNB Pro B.[25] Carter averaged 14.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.[26] 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 as he travelled between France and the United States.[26] On July 2, 2021, Carter signed with STB Le Havre of the LNB Pro B.[27]
References
^ abcdef"Paul Carter". University of Illinois at Chicago Athletics. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
