Over two decades ago, Hakim Warrick distinctly recalled his first impression of Carmelo Anthony before a casual basketball game at Syracuse University. In the summer of 2002, as they stepped onto the court at Syracuse`s former Manley Field House practice facility, Warrick harbored considerable skepticism about the incoming talent.
Warrick admitted, “I was thinking, `Is this slightly overweight guy really the one everyone`s so excited about?`”
However, the sophomore quickly grasped the reason for the buzz. The gifted Baltimore forward, despite his unassuming physique, possessed a comprehensive game, immediately showcasing his prowess with 27 points in his college debut against Memphis at Madison Square Garden.
Anthony`s single season at Syracuse was remarkably successful; the team, initially unranked, concluded with a 30-5 record. He set a program record for most points by a freshman and became the inaugural freshman in NCAA history to earn the title of Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. In 2003, he guided Syracuse to its sole men`s basketball championship, contributing 33 points and 14 rebounds in the semifinals against Texas, followed by 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in the championship victory over Kansas.
Jim Boeheim, Syracuse`s veteran coach, emphasized, “He was truly exceptional. We`ve seen many great players… But Carmelo secured the championship. It`s that straightforward. He was a superb player, and he delivered a title.”
Despite his 19-season NBA career yielding no further championships, Anthony`s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend stands as a testament to his career, largely sidestepping the common `ring culture` narrative that often dominates player evaluations in basketball.
His comprehensive achievements, and the distinctive journey he took to amass them, undeniably qualify Anthony for Springfield. He ranks 10th on the NBA`s all-time scoring list with 28,289 points. For USA Basketball, he holds the third-highest all-time scoring record, having earned four Olympic medals, three of which are gold. His accolades include 10 All-Star selections, six All-NBA team appearances, and a spot on the NBA`s 75th Anniversary Team.
Anthony`s legacy is less about the championships he didn`t secure, and more about the choices he didn`t make in pursuit of an NBA title, which ultimately forged his unique standing.
Carmelo Anthony`s NBA journey is punctuated by numerous hypothetical `what-if` scenarios. These discussions often begin with his draft night experience.
Following LeBron James`s selection by Cleveland as the first pick, the Detroit Pistons surprisingly chose Serbian center Darko Milicic at No. 2, allowing Anthony to be drafted third overall by the Denver Nuggets. Anthony`s Denver tenure began remarkably, elevating the Nuggets from 17 to 43 wins and securing a playoff spot, ultimately placing second to James in Rookie of the Year voting. Meanwhile, Milicic saw minimal playing time for a Pistons squad that famously defeated the Los Angeles Lakers for the championship. That championship marked Detroit`s only title during an era of dominance where they advanced to six consecutive conference finals and two back-to-back NBA Finals in 2004 and 2005.
The enduring question remains: what if Anthony had been drafted by Detroit instead of Milicic?
Chauncey Billups, a former Pistons point guard and current Portland Trail Blazers coach, confirmed, “Naturally, I`ve pondered that for a very long time. I genuinely believe that if we had drafted Melo that year, we would have secured at least three championships.”
Several years later, with his scoring average steadily rising into the mid-20s and having been recruited as a crucial component of USA Basketball`s revitalized national team, another significant `what-if` presented itself – one that Anthony himself controlled. The question centered on whether he should have foregone signing a five-year extension with the Nuggets in the summer of 2006, thereby aligning his free agency in 2010 with his 2003 draft class peers and USA Basketball standouts: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
In a July 2024 appearance on `Podcast P` with Paul George, Anthony recounted, “The plan was for Bosh and Wade, and then Bron and I, to team up somewhere. We just couldn`t pinpoint the location.” However, a choice he now attributes to a combination of aversion to risking guaranteed earnings and discomfort with a perceived role, led him to remain an independent star rather than joining the nascent superteam.
He explained to George, “Picture me, at 23 or 24, as the fourth option on a team, when I was consistently the primary leader of my own squad. I was establishing myself in this league. To leave that to become a fourth option? I questioned my mental capacity to do so.” His firm response was, “Absolutely not. I couldn`t be the fourth option.”
In 2008, Anthony joined James, Wade, Bosh, and Kobe Bryant in Beijing for the Olympic Games. There, he reconnected with Boeheim, then an assistant under coach Mike Krzyzewski, marking the emergence of `Olympic Melo.`
Boeheim noted, “Carmelo`s scoring ability was evident from day one, and with the shorter Olympic three-point line, it became even more effortless for him.” He added, “He would simply enter the game, and almost every single time – I can`t count how many – he`d make his first shot, typically a three-pointer. It happened consistently. He was simply a born Olympic scorer.”
Jason Kidd, Team USA`s starting point guard in 2008, highlighted Anthony`s crucial role in team chemistry, particularly in easing tensions between Bryant and James, who lacked an established rapport. Kidd remarked, “He possessed a maturity that allowed him to keep everyone engaged and cohesive. A significant aspect of Melo`s character is that he excels both on and off the court, making him an exceptional teammate, and that extends beyond just the game itself.”
During the gold medal match against Pau Gasol`s Spain, Anthony contributed 13 points in just 17 minutes off the bench, aiding the `Redeem Team` – which is also being inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend – in achieving its ultimate goal.
Anthony`s renowned period in New York commenced three years later, spanning seven and a half seasons. In 2012, his Knicks were eliminated by James, Wade, Bosh, and the Heat in the first round in five games, despite his 41-point effort in New York`s sole victory. The subsequent season saw him clinch the scoring title with an average of 28.7 points per game, guiding New York to 54 wins and the second seed in the Eastern Conference before falling to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.
While the Knicks` championship drought persisted, Madison Square Garden – the very venue where his Syracuse journey began – recaptured its electrifying atmosphere. New York`s team once again featured prominently in the NBA`s marquee televised events, such as Opening Night and Christmas Day, and Anthony`s signature three-point celebration, touching three fingers to his temple, became a widely imitated gesture across the league. This period marked the pinnacle of `Melo`s` celebrity; his No. 7 Knicks jersey was the league`s top seller in 2013, firmly establishing his legendary status as a scorer.
Pau Gasol reflected, “There`s a distinct value in saying, `I`m going to lead a team on my own.` He achieved that, first in Denver where they fielded strong teams, though superior opponents existed at the time. The same ambition and confidence were evident with New York – to say, `I`m going to join the Knicks and attempt to rejuvenate that franchise, restoring it to prominence after years of difficulties.`”
Boeheim further elaborated: “The NBA often hinges on the team you`re part of. He significantly elevated Denver, but they faced titans like Kobe and Tim Duncan. They weren`t going to win a championship. Likewise, New York, with its roster at the time, wasn`t going to secure a title. He consistently improved his teams, which is a major accomplishment in the NBA. He stands as one of the finest three-dimensional scorers ever to grace the game – proficient in shooting threes, driving, and executing pull-up jumpers. He possessed every offensive skill.”
Gasol also contemplates one final `what-if` scenario: what if he hadn`t sustained a second stress fracture in his left foot in November 2019, which led the Portland Trail Blazers to release him? Without that specific injury, which initially appeared to conclude his NBA career, would Carmelo Anthony have ever received an opportunity to prolong it?
Prior to this, Anthony had been out of the league for over a year, having been unceremoniously let go by the Houston Rockets just ten games into the 2017-18 season. The Blazers, filling Gasol`s roster spot, signed Anthony, transforming him from an unemployed player to one averaging 15.4 points for Portland that very season. In his career`s concluding flourish – two seasons with Portland and a final year in Los Angeles, finally playing alongside LeBron James after so many years – Anthony accumulated an additional 2,738 points, a remarkable finish that propelled him into the top 10 of the NBA`s all-time scoring list.
Having retired four years ago, he still holds the record for the most career go-ahead field goals (18) made in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime, a statistic tracked since the 1996-97 season. His Olympic record further expanded with two more gold medals in London and Rio, and he continues to hold the USA scoring record for a single Olympic game, achieving 37 points in merely 14 minutes and 29 seconds against Nigeria in 2012.
Boeheim described Anthony`s phenomenal 13-for-16 shooting display, which included 10-for-12 from three-point range, as “otherworldly.” He added, “It was absolutely insane, incredible.” Kidd remarked, “He never shied away from critical moments. He sought the ball, and everyone understood that when he possessed it, a shot was imminent, not a pass.”
Anthony`s Syracuse championship remains a powerful legacy, highlighted by the team`s 20th-anniversary celebration in March 2023, coinciding with Coach Boeheim`s last home game at the venerable Carrier Dome before his retirement. Today, when Syracuse players evaluate new freshmen during the initial summer pickup games, these sessions no longer take place at Manley Field House. Instead, they convene at the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, a 54,000-square-foot practice facility inaugurated in 2009, a lasting tribute from the once-skeptically viewed “little chubby dude.”
Billups concluded, “I suppose everything unfolded as it was meant to. His career is truly as accomplished as one could wish for.”
