On May 22, 2023, NBA legend and multi-time All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony announced his retirement from the NBA, via a video to Instagram. The 38-year-old played 19 NBA seasons for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers. He did not play a game, nor get signed to a team, during the 2022-23 NBA season.
“But now the time has come for me to say goodbye: to the court where I made my name, to the game that gave me purpose and pride," Anthony stated. “But this bittersweet goodbye to the NBA, I am excited for what the future holds for me. When people ask what I believe my legacy is, it’s not my feet on the court that comes to mind, nor the awards or praise, because my story has always been more than basketball."
Anthony's legendary presence in basketball began after winning the 2003 NCAA National Championship with the Syracuse Orange. Anthony's NBA-ready play made him the Most Outstanding Player in the 2003 Final Four.
Anthony was drafted with the third overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft to the Denver Nuggets, in a draft class highlighted with revolutionaries of the game like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Through 8 seasons with Denver, Anthony found himself to become one of the league's best scorers, and helped lead the Nuggets to a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2009.
At the 2011 NBA trade deadline, Anthony found himself packaged with Chauncey Billups in a trade to the New York Knicks, in exchange for a plethora of players. Anthony helped lead the Knicks to the playoffs 3 times during his 6-full-season tenure with the organization.
“In the seven years he played for the Knicks, Melo gave The Garden crowd some unforgettable memories and garnered multiple All-Star and All-NBA selections,” the Knicks said in a statement, as the New York Post reported. “He also led the way off the court with participation in countless community programs.”
Anthony finished his career with an impressive resume. Despite the lack of a championship ring, Anthony still finished with the 9th-most career points scored in NBA history with 28,289. He was selected to 10 All-Star games, as well as 2 All-NBA Second Teams, and 4 All-NBA Third Teams. In the 2012-13 season, Anthony was named the scoring champion with 28.7 PPG. On top of all this, His #15 jersey number was retired by Syracuse, and could surely get his #15 retired by the Denver Nuggets in the future.
Outside of the NBA, Anthony played "31 games in four appearances at the Olympics, the most of any U.S. men's player ever," ESPN reports. "Anthony's 37 points against Nigeria in the 2012 Games is a USA Basketball men's record at an Olympics, as are his 10 3-pointers from that game and his 13-for-13 effort from the foul line against Argentina in 2008."
“People ask what I believe my legacy is,” Anthony said, as reported by NBC News. “It’s not my feats on the court that come to mind, all the awards or praise. Because my story has always been more than basketball. My legacy, my son ... I will forever continue through you. The time has come for you to carry this torch.”
Anthony's son, Kiyan, is a 4-star recruit from Long Island, in the Class of 2025. Anthony will use his retirement to overlook his son's future as he pursues the NBA himself. Anthony and Kiyan received standing ovations while they sat courtside at Madison Square Garden during Game 2 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals series between the Knicks and Heat.
great article calvin!