Carmelo Anthony has called it a career. The 38-year-old basketball star announced his retirement from the NBA on Monday. He spent 19 seasons in the league and played for six different teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, the last team he played for during the 2021-22 season.
“I remember the days when I had nothing. Just a ball on a court with a dream of something more,” Anthony said in a video posted on Twitter. “But basketball was my outlet. My purpose was strong, my communities, the cities I represented with pride and the fans that supported me along the way. I am forever grateful for those people and places cause they made me Carmelo Anthony. But now the time has come for me to say goodbye. … With this bittersweet goodbye to the NBA, I’m excited about what the future holds for me.”
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Anthony was selected No. 3 overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA Draft after playing one season at Syracuse where he led the team to a national championship. He was in the same draft class as LeBron James who was selected No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2004, Anthony was named to the All-Rookie First Team and made his first All-Star game in 2007. While playing for the Nuggets, Anthony made the All-Star team four times and was named to the All-NBA team four times.
Midway through the 2010-2011 season, Anthony was traded to the New York Knicks and led the NBA in scoring in 2013. Before the start of the 2017 season, Anthony was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder and was there for just one season before signing with the Houston Rockets in 2018. After being in Houston for one season, Anthony spent two years with the Portland Trail Blazers before playing his final season with James and the Lakers. In his career, Anthony made the All-Star team 10 times, was selected to the All-NBA team six times and scored a total of 28,289 points which ranks ninth on the all-time list. Last year, Anthony was selected to NBA 75th Anniversary Team which includes the 75 best players in NBA history. And Anthony is a decorated Olympian, winning three gold medals and one bronze in four different summer Olympics.
“I remember the days when I had nothing, just a ball on the court and a dream of something more,” Anthony said. “But basketball was my outlet. My purpose was strong, my communities, the cities I represented with pride and the fans that supported me along the way. I am forever grateful for those people and places because they made me Carmelo Anthony.”
