Carmelo Anthony, the ninth leading scorer in NBA history, has retired from basketball after 19 seasons.
The 38-year-old made his announcement on social media on Monday morning.
Anthony was a 10-time All-Star who scored 28,289 points with six different teams. He hasn’t played this season and last played with the Lakers in 2021-22.
Anthony played for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers before joining the Lakers.
“I remember the days when I had nothing,” Anthony said in the video. ‘Just a ball on a pitch and a dream of something more. Basketball was my outlet. My aim was strong.
Carmelo Anthony, the ninth leading scorer in NBA history, has retired from basketball
The 10-time All-Star announced his retirement in a video shared on social media on Monday
The 38-year-old recently attended the New York Knicks game against Miami with his former team.
“My communities, the cities I represented with pride and the fans who supported me along the way. I am forever grateful to these people and places for making me Carmelo Anthony.
“But now the time has come for me to say goodbye to the ground where I made my name, to the game that gave me purpose and pride. But this bittersweet farewell to the NBA, I’m excited for what the future holds.
“When people ask me what my heritage is, it’s not my exploits on the pitch that come to mind. Neither the rewards nor the praises. Because my story has always been more than basketball.
‘My inheritance, my son, is in you. I will continue forever through you. Because the time has come for you to carry this torch. So Kiyan, follow your dreams. Don’t let anything hold you back. Don’t let anything interfere.
‘My legacy, now and forever, lives through you. And I will always be proud of everything you do. Peace.’
Anthony was selected out of Syracuse with the Nuggets’ third overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft – in the same draft class as LeBron James.
He was part of the star-studded class that included James at No. 1, Hall of Famer Chris Bosh at No. 4 and future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade — he will be officially inducted this summer — at No. 5.
Anthony will join them in the Hall of Fame shortly. He averaged 22.5 points in his 19 seasons, spending most of those years with Denver and the New York Knicks. Anthony has long raved about his time with the Knicks and what it was like to play at Madison Square Garden, especially as a Brooklyn-born kid.
The 10-time All-Star was selected in the same draft class as his friend LeBron James (right)
Anthony was selected out of Syracuse with the Nuggets’ third overall pick in the 2003 draft
He was part of the star-studded class which included James at No 1 and Dwayne Wade (R) at 5
The Brooklyn native loved his time with the Knicks and what it was like playing at MSG
“The Garden,” Anthony said in 2014. “They call it Mecca for a reason.”
Anthony also played for Portland, Oklahoma City, Houston and finished his career with the Lakers last season. He didn’t sign this year, and now his retirement is official.
He lifts the curtain on a decorated career as a 10-time All-Star, with six All-NBA honors through stints with the Knicks, Thunder, Rockets Trail Blazers and Lakers.
Only James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal have scored more than Anthony.
Anthony was considered one of the best players in college basketball, winning the 2002-03 national championship with Syracuse.
He was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as a true freshman, averaging 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game that year.
He has continued to support Orange since leaving, and the college’s basketball training center is named after him.
His son, Kiyan, a highly rated high school shooter, whom he named in his retirement announcement as his “legacy,” is a rookie class of 2025 who could follow in his father’s footsteps, currently holding an offer to Syracuse.
Anthony named his son, Kiyan (left), in his retirement announcement as his ‘legacy’
Anthony was a member of the 2012 United States Olympic gold medal winning team (photo LR: Kevin Durant, Anthony, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant)
Although he never reached the NBA Finals – he only played in the Conference Finals once, with Denver against eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 – Anthony also knew what it was. was that of being a champion.
He helped USA Basketball win Olympic gold three times – in Beijing in 2008, London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Anthony has played 31 games in four Olympic Games appearances, the most for any American male player of all time. Anthony’s 37 points against Nigeria in the 2012 games is a USA Basketball Olympics men’s record, as are his 10 3-pointers in that game and his 13-for-13 effort from the foul line against Nigeria. Argentina in 2008.
He will remain in international basketball for at least a few more months; Anthony is one of the ambassadors of the Basketball World Cup, FIBA’s biggest event, which will take place this summer in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
