Carmelo Anthony Retired
On Monday, May 22nd, Carmelo Anthony after 19 seasons in the NBA has decided to retire. His last NBA appearance was in the 2021-2022 season where he played 69 games with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also played for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Anthony finished his career averaging 22.5 points per game, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and one steal per game. He is a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and 2003-04 All-Rookie Team.
How Did Carmelo Anthony Become a Knick?
On February 22, 2011, the Knicks made a blockbuster trade with the Nuggets. The Knicks acquired Anthony in addition to Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter, and Renaldo Balkman. In return, the Nuggets acquired Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, two future second-round draft picks, and a first-round draft pick from 2014.
The New York Knicks Should Retire #7
Even though he only spent seven seasons with New York, The Knicks should retire his #7 jersey. In that time he made his presence felt. All time, Melo is a top-10 player in Knicks history and maybe even top-5. Even though Anthony never accomplished his goal of winning a championship in New York, he was the next Knicks hero after Patrick Ewing. He also made the Knicks a fun team to watch and millions of people owned his jersey.
The Knicks only have eight players numbers retired. Anthony has earned his right to have the Knicks retire #7 and have that jersey hung in the rafters at Madison Square Garden.
Career Accomplishments
In his Knicks career, Anthony is seventh in points, third in points per game, won the 2013 scoring title, and has the single game NYK and MSG points record with 62 points which came against the Charlotte Bobcats. He is also a 10x All-Star and 6x All-NBA player.
In his career, he is ninth all-time in points with 28,289 and 15th all-time in field goals made with 10,119. He is also one of the best Olympic athletes of all-time, earning 3 Gold medals, a Bronze medal, and is the all-time US Olympic Scoring Leader.
Iconic Melo Moments
Melo had many iconic moments throughout his career such as his 62 point career-high night. Other moments include his clutch game against the Chicago Bulls. This consisted of not only a shot to tie the score to send the game to overtime, but also his game winning three that sealed the win in OT.
Other moments include his “Coming Home” as he makes his Knicks debut at the Garden or his coined three to the dome celebration when he hits a three, following the iconic Mike Walczewski call.
Even though he did not win a championship, he was still what the Knicks needed throughout some rough times in the teams history. He made the playoffs as a Knick in three of his seven seasons. Before Melo took the team to the playoffs in the 2010-11 season, the last time the Knicks made the playoffs was the 2003-04 season.
His signature move of the jab step and contested mid range jump shots in the post will always be remembered in Knicks history. The signature hashtag #STAYME7O will always be a fan favorite and one of the better Knicks of all-time, including the best Knick in the last decade.
***************************************************
Brian Ramos is a contributor on Back Sports Page. Along with receiving his B.A. in Sports Communications, he has over a year of experience in the sports industry, and has interviewed a variety of people in the sports industry such as Bobby Portis, Don La Greca, Adam Schefter, and others. Ramos has a podcast on YouTube called Cut The Nets along with his co-host Jeremy Gretzer. You can find him on Instagram at @Brian.ramos0219 and Twitter at @brianramos0219
