By Jordan Long
Carmelo Anthony decided to retire from the NBA game after 19 seasons. Anthony didn’t even play a single minute this year. He will go down as one of the top players to play in the NBA.
Anthony declared for the 2003 draft. The draft was stacked with great basketball players including LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade. Cleveland won the NBA draft lottery selecting LeBron James. Detroit for some reason went with Darko Milicic who lasted 96 games there. The Nuggets took Anthony with the 3rd pick in hopes of turning the Nuggets’ franchise around. They hadn’t earned a playoff spot since 1995.
In his first year with the Nuggets, Anthony made an immediate impact. He averaged 21 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Denver finished the season 43-39, earning a playoff spot as the 8th seed in the Western Conference. Denver was knocked out of the 1st-round in 5 games by Minnesota.
Anthony would stay in Denver until February 22, 2011. In his time with the Nuggets, Denver went to the playoffs 6 more times. Unfortunately, 5 of those 6 ended in the 1st-round. In 2009, they were very close to going to the NBA Finals. They matched up with the L.A. Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers though beat the Nuggets in 6 games, the furthest Anthony went in the playoffs in his career.
The Nuggets wanted to keep Anthony long-term and build a winning team around him. They offered him a three-year $65 million extension before the 2010 season. Anthony refused. The Nuggets had no choice but to trade Anthony to New York. On February 22, 2011, Denver traded Anthony along with hometown fan favorite Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter, and Renaldo Balkman to New York. The Nuggets received back Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, a 1st– round pick, and two 2nd-round picks plus $3 million in cash.
In his time with the Nuggets, Anthony appeared in 564 regular season games. He averaged 24.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Anthony scored 13,970 points with the Nuggets, 3rd in Nuggets history.
With the Knicks, Anthony suited up in 412 games, scoring 24.7 points per game. New York went to the postseason 3 times. The Knicks advanced to the 2nd round in 2013 but were beaten by the Indiana Pacers in 6 games. Anthony stayed in New York until September 25, 2017. He was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He lasted in Oklahoma City for only one year before moving on to Houston. In Oklahoma City, he appeared in 78 games, scoring 16.2 points per game. Oklahoma City earned a playoff spot in 2018 but were beaten in the 1st-round by Utah.
Oklahoma City let him test free agency. Anthony agreed to a contract with Houston for a year. It didn’t last long. He was traded yet again on January 22nd, 2019 to Portland. He would stay in Portland until the end of the 2021 season. Portland went to the playoffs both years but were beaten in the 1st-round.
Anthony’s final stop in the NBA was last year with the Lakers. He was a bench player. He ended up playing in 69 games. L.A. though missed the playoffs. In his short time with the Lakers, Anthony averaged 13.3 points per game.
Anthony was taking his time to decide if he wanted to play this year. It looked like he was finished playing in the NBA. He finally chose to walk away. According to ESPN.com, Anthony said on social media, “the time has come for me to say goodbye.”
Anthony did a lot during his time in the NBA. He totaled 28,289 points, ranking 9th in NBA history. Anthony was also voted into the All-Star Game 10 times. The only thing missing was an NBA championship ring. He was close with the Nuggets. With him, it is “a what if he stayed in Denver and wasn’t traded to New York.” Maybe in the Mile High City, he could have won a Championship. Denver was willing to keep him as the main piece and build around him. It doesn’t matter now. Anthony showed he was one of the best players to ever play the game of basketball. Most likely he will be enshrined in The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He deserves his spot.
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