Carter, the former University of Hawai'i standout, signed a two-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs yesterday.

Carter, a 6-foot-2 point guard, played his first four seasons in the NBA with the Miami Heat.

"This is a fresh start for me and a great honor to play for the defending world champions," Carter said in a press release from the Spurs. "It will be a tremendous challenge to return to championship form, but it is a challenge I think we will be up to."

In a well-publicized gaffe, Carter and his agent, Bill Duffy, failed to exercise an option in his previous contract with the Heat. If Carter had exercised that option, he would have made $4.1 million from the Heat for the upcoming season.

Financial details of Carter's contract with the Spurs were not released, but it is certain to be less than what he could have made with Miami. The minimum salary for players with four years of NBA experience is $689,000.

Carter is expected to be the back-up point guard in San Antonio, behind starter Tony Parker. Speedy Claxton, last season's back-up point guard for the Spurs, signed a free agent deal with Golden State.

"Anthony Carter is a proven NBA player who has experience as both a starter and a reserve," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said in the press release. "He is a good defensive player and will fit well into our system."

Carter played at UH from 1996-98 and set the school's single-season assist record as a senior. He then played one season in the Continental Basketball Association before signing with the Heat as a free agent before the 1999 season.

In four seasons with Miami, he averaged 5.5 points and 4.3 assists per game. He ranks sixth on Miami's all-time assists list with 1,063.