While he doesn’t get the love and recognition he deserves, Carmelo Anthony will go down as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.
Anthony had the tough luck to enter the league at the same time as LeBron James.
There was a time when there was a legit debate about whether Anthony — not James — should be the No. 1 pick in the draft, and that’s a burden he had to deal with throughout the course of his career.
He was never able to win an NBA championship or even play in the NBA Finals, and that took a big toll on the narrative around him.
That’s why the league wanted to do right by one of their best players in recent memory by honoring him with a nice post in the wake of his retirement announcement.
10x NBA All-Star, 6x All-NBA selection, 9th most points all-time and 75th Anniversary Team member…
Thank you, Carmelo! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Z3uRXCB5Xh
— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2023
People often criticized him for the way he left the Denver Nuggets, but it always felt like he was scapegoated by his other teams.
He was the heart and soul of the New York Knicks, a team that failed to surround him with enough talent — aside from an often-injured Amar’e Stoudemire — and was then forced to leave by Phil Jackson.
He thrived with the Oklahoma City Thunder before a failed stint with the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets pretty much made him the fall guy and he spent almost an entire season on the shelf before getting another chance to prove his worth.
It’s a shame that Melo won’t go down as a champion, but we have to have to give respect where it’s due, and he’s a future Hall of Famer.
NEXT:
LeBron James Now Holds A Very Special Honor
