Carmelo Anthony takes emotional walk down memory lane with heartfelt retirement announcement

Carmelo Anthony, who spent the final season of his 19-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, has announced his retirement.

“I remember the days when I had nothing, just a ball on the court and a dream of something more,” he said. “… Now the time has come for me to say goodbye, to the court where I made my name, to the game that gave me purpose and pride.”

Anthony entered the NBA as part of the league’s stellar class of rookies from the 2003 NBA Draft. He was selected third overall by the Denver Nuggets, two picks after close friend LeBron James.

In the midst of his eighth season with the Nuggets, Anthony was dealt to the New York Knicks in February 2011. For the remainder of that campaign and the five subsequent seasons, Anthony continued to produce on the court.

Evidence of that production was shown during the 2012-13 season, as he led the league in scoring with 28.7 points per contest.

In September 2017, Anthony was traded to the Oklahoma Thunder, beginning an odyssey that would see him play for four teams over his final five seasons.

The following year, Anthony’s career seemed close to the end when he played just 10 games for the Houston Rockets. In January 2019, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls, who soon waived him.

However, after signing with the Portland Trail Blazers in November 2019, Anthony had one final surge of success in his two seasons with the team. He started 58 games for the Trail Blazers during the 2019-20 season and then was mainly used off the bench the following campaign.

The Lakers signed him in August 2021 and used him in the same fashion that Portland had the season before. In his 69 games with the Lakers during the 2021-22 season, Anthony averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.

Despite those contributions, the Lakers chose not to re-sign Anthony, even though speculation last offseason hinted at that prospect.

Anthony reportedly had interest in making a return to the Knicks, but that vision never materialized. At one point, he was also linked to a team from Taiwan.

Set to turn 39 next week, Anthony obviously has come to the conclusion that his time as a player has ended. Despite that quiet end to an impressive career, his name won’t disappear from the headlines.

That’s because in just a few years, it seems certain that Anthony will be enshrined to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Anthony’s friend Dwyane Wade is receiving that accolade this year, with James and another friend, Chris Paul, eventually destined for the same honor.