On May 23, 2023, NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony announced that after 19 seasons playing professional basketball, he will be retiring. Anthony is a basketball legend as he has made 10 NBA all-star teams and also received six all-NBA first-team awards. Anthony has won three gold medals and one bronze Olympic medal while playing for the United States National team. Anthony’s name was also in the NBA’s all-time 75th-anniversary team list, which ranks the best players throughout the history of the NBA. Anthony also ranks ninth all time in points scored. 

Anthony became a household name in 2003 while he was playing college basketball at Syracuse University. The orange won the national championship during his freshman year at Syracuse University. Following Anthony’s exciting freshman year, he entered the 2003 NBA draft. He was drafted third overall by the Denver Nuggets; as soon as he was drafted by the Nuggets he made an immediate impact. He jumped on NBA fans’ radars quickly as he was averaging 21 points per game for Denver. The 2003 NBA draft was also the draft year that the Cleveland Cavaliers took LeBron James first overall. The NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2003 was presented to James but in a close second was Carmelo Anthony. Anthony helped lead the Nuggets to the NBA playoffs for seven consecutive years. He broke countless records while playing with the Nuggets. In the years 2003-2010, Anthony averaged 24.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game with four NBA All-Star appearances. 

During the 2009 season, Denver reached the Western Conference finals but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, who eventually won the NBA championship that year. In the 2010 season, Denver lost in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the Utah Jazz. After the loss, it was reported that Anthony requested a trade after he refused to sign a contract extension with the Nuggets. Anthony was eventually traded to his hometown, the New York Knicks in a massive three-team, 13-player trade. While playing for the Knicks Anthony averaged 24.7 points per game and made seven NBA all-star teams. In 2017 he asked for a trade from the Knicks. Anthony then bounced around the league spending the next five years on four different teams. In 2021 it was announced that Anthony would team up with James and join the Los Angeles Lakers. While playing for the Lakers he passed Moses Malone for ninth on the league’s all-time scoring, he also became the ninth player to score 28,000 career points while he was with the Lakers. Anthony has undoubtedly left an impression on the NBA, he will be remembered for his signature spin move and powerful jab step. After 19 seasons of playing professional basketball and at age 38 he will be retiring from the NBA and the professional basketball industry.