East Rutherford, NJ — The New Jersey Nets have been selected as one of four teams to participate in Europe Live 2008. They'll be squaring off in a pair of exhibition contests against the Miami Heat. One game will be played Oct. 9 at the Palais Omnisport Paris Bercy in Paris; the other will be at The O2 Arena in London on Oct. 12. The Washington Wizards and New Orleans Hornets will compete in Berlin (Oct. 14) and Barcelona (Oct. 17).

Nets shooting guard Vince Carter recently traveled across the Atlantic to help promote Europe Live 2008, spending time in London and Paris. Now that training camp's underway, he'll soon return with a bevy of teammates. We scored a few minutes with Carter, and asked him about the upcoming trip.

NJNets.com: How much are you looking forward to participating in Europe Live 2008?

Vince Carter: It’s still preseason, but I think it’s going to be a great experience for our team, a trip like that. The most important thing is to do our job and get prepared. There’s a lot of doubters and naysayers who don’t believe in our talent and what we have here, so I think for us, it’s business. If we have the opportunity to enjoy it, we will. But right now, my mentality is: it’s a game, it’s a building block for the season.

NJN: Are there any sights you’re hoping to get out and see?

VC: Probably not. I’ll probably get out there and play a little golf, but that’s it. I got to see the London Eye and Big Ben, all that stuff I got to see when I was there (a few weeks ago). Not really to touch it and feel it and be around it, but I got to see it in passing.

NJN:What’s like being selected to serve as an ambassador abroad for the NBA?

VC: It’s a great feeling. It’s an honor for us to go out there and play and show the game in front of fans who don’t get to see it often. It’s going to be fun, and I hope they enjoy it.

NJN:You have international experience after playing in the 2000 Olympics. How do you feel the international game has grown since?

VC: Definitely, the talent is a lot better. You can just see it in the guys who are in the league and doing well. That just speaks for itself.