Anthony Carter's last on-the-court heave as a member of the University of Hawai'i basketball team involved not a ball, but the shoes he lofted into the Stan Sheriff Center stands as a heartfelt parting gesture to fans in 1998.

A decade later another pair, autographed, now frame-encased and soon to be on display at Big City Diner in Kaimuki, are testament to not only the niche Carter's been able to carve in the NBA but the special tie that endures with his fans here.

As Denver awaits its opponent in the team's first Western Conference final in nearly a quarter century, Carter, a back-up guard, is one of the priceless role players who have helped lift the Nuggets there.

Through dint of year-round hard work and preparation Carter has been a defensive leader and off-the-bench sparkplug for the surging Nuggets, for whom he averages 5.3 points and 4.7 assists per game this season.

The Nuggets, who consider the 34-year-old and the court leadership he supplied in 78 appearances this season, a steal at $1,147,000, want to talk longer term with the current contract expiring next month. Bill Duffy, Carter's agent, said his client is both interested and not without multi-year options.

For somebody who left UH without much of a jump shot to an uncertain future as an undrafted free agent in 1998, it has been a remarkable ride. Waived several times, released with a seemingly career-ending injury, left to rebuild his game in Italy and catch on repeatedly as a free agent, Carter thrives.

In the process he has become, next to Tom Henderson's 11-year career, the longest lasting of the players the 'Bows have sent to the NBA. As such, especially at playoff time, he is not only a visible symbol of pride hereabouts but a link to perhaps the most exciting chapter in UH's three decades of Western Athletic Conference basketball.

A time when Carter and Alika Smith — aka "Batman and Robin" — and their cohorts led the Rainbows to 42 victories and an unmatched 15 sellouts over two seasons (1996-98) on campus.

Since then Carter has quietly shown his thanks to UH, endowing with a $100,000 donation for scholarships and providing items for auction fundraisers.

It was indelible memories of the playing days that prompted Lane Muraoka and his family to pack a gift bag for Carter when they headed to Denver on a recent vacation. They had seats to a Nuggets game at the Pepsi Center but held, he said, no expectation about making contact with Carter, who Muraoka had only met in passing several years ago.

Still, Muraoka said, he wanted Carter to know, "people in Hawai'i didn't forget him" — sentiments he hoped the bag left with security officials containing a UH visor and an assortment of goodies might convey.

To their surprise — and the astonishment of a group of Colorado residents with them, Muraoka said — came a gift by personal messenger in return. The pair of autographed shoes that Muraoka says he will put on display in his restaurant, suggest Carter hasn't forgotten his ties here, either.