NBA star Carmelo Anthony, also known as "Melo," announced his retirement from basketball in a heartfelt video on Twitter yesterday
NBA star Carmelo Anthony, also known as "Melo," announced his retirement from basketball in a heartfelt video on Twitter yesterday. After 19 seasons, Anthony, who will turn 39 next week, expressed his gratitude and said, "The time has come for me to say goodbye." Throughout his career, Anthony played for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers, accumulating a total of 28,289 points and ranking 9th on the NBA's all-time scoring list. He was a 10-time NBA All-Star and a 6-time All-NBA selection. Thank you, Carmelo! 👏
As one of the NBA's 75 greatest players and ranking 9th on the all-time scoring list, Carmelo Anthony, known as "Melo," announced his retirement in a sentimental manner. Having not appeared in the NBA for over a year, he bid farewell to the court with the regret of never winning a championship. Anthony emotionally announced his retirement in a video on Twitter, saying, "For me, the time to say goodbye has come. Basketball has given me goals and made me proud." His last appearance in the NBA was during the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he did not receive any offers for this season (2022-23), resulting in no playing records.
Nevertheless, Anthony has already achieved great accomplishments. He was selected as one of the NBA's 75 greatest players, and at almost 39 years old, he has been selected as an All-Star player 10 times. Throughout his 19 seasons, he played for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Lakers, accumulating a total of 28,289 points (averaging 22.5 points per game) and ranking 9th on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Known for his scoring abilities and being dubbed the "offensive maestro," he has had numerous career highlights, with the exception of an NBA championship ring. The closest he came was leading the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals in 2009, only to be defeated by the eventual champions, the Lakers.
However, Anthony has had a brilliant record representing the United States in Olympic basketball. He won gold medals in 2008, 2012, and 2016, and in total, he played in 31 Olympic games, the most by any American male player.
Selected as the third overall pick by the Nuggets in the highly regarded 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony was part of a draft class that included top pick LeBron James, fourth pick Chris Bosh, and fifth pick Dwyane Wade, among other notable players.
Among these four players, Anthony is the only one who did not win an NBA championship. His golden era came during his time with the Nuggets and Knicks, but his emphasis on offense over defense prevented him from leading his teams to the expected results. As the years took a toll and injuries plagued him, his scoring average dropped below 20 points per game starting from the 2017-18 season when he joined the Thunder, breaking his streak of 14 consecutive seasons with over 20 points per game.
Since then, his performance declined, and he spent his last season with the Lakers, averaging a career-low 13.3 points per game.
On October 24, 2021, in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Anthony surpassed Moses Malone on the all-time scoring list, moving up to 9th place.
After retirement, Anthony will focus on his son, Kiyan. Currently in high school, Kiyan is a highly rated shooting guard who plans to attend Syracuse University, his father's alma mater, and has the potential to follow in his father's footsteps and enter the NBA.
After retirement, Carmelo Anthony (right) will focus on his son, Kiyan (left).