Carmelo Anthony officially retired from the NBA Monday morning with a chilling announcement. While reflecting back on his playing days, Melo also paid homage to the future and his legacy by stepping aside and passing the torch to his son Kiyan Anthony.
During his 19 seasons in the NBA, Carmelo proved that he was worth all the praise he received as a high school and college star. In the NBA, he would go on to score over 28,000 points, grab over 7800 rebounds, dish out over 3400 assists, and hit over 1700 3-pointers. Needless to say, Carmelo Anthony was a beast.
During his career, he would suit up for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, and Houston Rockets. Labeled as one of the purest scorers in NBA history, Melo left it all on the court for almost 2 decades.
Thank you #STAYME7O pic.twitter.com/4au8cOd13s
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) May 22, 2023
Drafted in the infamous 2003 NBA Draft that also featured LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, Melo still managed to make a name for himself. With one year in college at Syracuse, Melo did what others like him could not. He won a title in his only season and was off to the league.
A career 22-points-per-gamer scorer, Melo would make the All-Star team 10 times while also winning 4 medals at the Olympics as a member of the USA Basketball Team. Melo has nothing left to prove to anyone. Not everyone will win a ring in the league and that’s been something many have said is missing from his resume. Championships aside, Melo is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
When asked who was the toughest player for him to guard, the great Kobe Bryant said Carmelo Anthony. For me, yeah,” Bryant told in an interview in December 2012. “He’s always been a player that I enjoyed guarding the most. He was the most difficult because of his size and his speed.
There wasn’t too much that Carmelo Anthony couldn’t do on the court. He was an explosive offensive player but was often overlooked on the defensive end of the floor. While others ran from the major spotlight, Carmelo wanted it. His return back home to the Knicks couldn’t have been scripted any better. His big moments and clutch shots will live on forever at Madison Square Garden.
His legacy in the NBA is etched in stone. And now, his legacy off the court is ready to take that next step in his father’s footsteps. Thank you for the memories, Carmelo Anthony.