Carmelo Anthony

1984-present

Who Is Carmelo Anthony?

Basketball star Carmelo Anthony grew up in Baltimore and became the No. 1 high school player in the country. As a college freshman, he led Syracuse University to the national title in 2003. That same year he was drafted third overall by the Denver Nuggets, becoming one of the NBA’s top scorers. He was traded to the New York Knicks in 2011, before moving on to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Atlanta Hawks, the Houston Rockets, the Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers. After 19 seasons in the NBA, Anthony announced his retirement from basketball in May 2023.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Carmelo Kyam Anthony
BORN: May 29, 1984
BIRTHPLACE: Brooklyn, New York
SPOUSE: La La Anthony (2010-c. 2021)
CHILDREN: Kiyan
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Gemini

Early Years and Basketball Start

The youngest of four children, Carmelo Kyam Anthony was born on May 29, 1984, in Brooklyn, New York. Raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Anthony experienced a bumpy childhood. When he was 2, his father, Carmelo Iriarte, died of liver failure. That left the care of the young boy and his three older siblings in the hands of his mother, Mary, who kept food on the table by working as a housekeeper.

While the world around the Anthony family was the rough, drug-infested area of Baltimore known as the Pharmacy, inside the home, Mary kept her children on a short leash. She pushed Carmelo, in particular, to stay on top of his schoolwork.

Anthony began playing basketball at a young age, but it wasn’t until he was cut from his high school team as a freshman that he started to seriously focus on his game. By his sophomore season, Anthony had grown five additional inches and brought to the court a level of talent that made him a local star.

Naturally, college coaches around the country took notice, and by his junior year, Anthony had committed to playing for Syracuse University. In order to meet the school’s academic requirements, Anthony transferred to Oak Hill Academy, a private boarding school in Virginia with a strict disciplinary culture that has long catered to future NBA players.

The transition for Anthony proved tough, but he stuck with it and eventually raised his test scores and his game, becoming the highest-ranked high school basketball player in the country. Unlike other top high school players, like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, Anthony felt he wasn’t ready to skip college and jump straight to the NBA. Instead, he kept his commitment to Syracuse and entered the school as a student in the fall of 2002.

College Career

At Syracuse, Anthony quickly adapted to the college game. As the Orangemen’s top player, he led the club to its first national championship, in the spring of 2003, with an 81-78 upset win over the favored University of Kansas. In the game, Anthony led all scorers with 20 points, while also collecting 10 rebounds.

Capping a magical season for the freshman player, Anthony was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Later that spring, the star player said he was ready to go pro and declared himself eligible for the upcoming 2003 NBA draft.

NBA Career

In a talent-heavy draft that featured James and Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, nicknamed “Melo,” was selected third overall by the Denver Nuggets. There was little transition period for the young player.

During his 2003-04 rookie season, the 19-year-old Anthony was named to the All-Rookie team, averaging 21 points and six rebounds per game.

Over the course of his pro career, the 6-foot-8-inch-tall forward proved to be one of the game’s great scorers. In 2007, he was tapped to play in his first All-Star game and, in the ensuing years, made several additional All-Star teams. On December 10, 2008, in a game against Minnesota, Anthony tied an NBA record when he scored 33 points in a single quarter.

While the Nuggets enjoyed a fair level of success with Anthony as the franchise’s leading player, the team never became the perennial contender that club officials had hoped. In the middle of the 2011 season, Denver shipped Anthony to the New York Knicks in a three-team megatrade.

The move delighted Anthony, who had longed to return to his native New York. He led the Knicks to an impressive 54-28 record in 2012-13, and the following year, he set the franchise scoring record with a career-high 62 points. However, by then, things were already souring between Anthony and the Knicks, with high-profile team president Phil Jackson publicly expressing his disappointment with the star player.

Anthony earned his release from Knicks purgatory with a trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder in September 2017. The following summer, he was traded again, to the Atlanta Hawks, though he was soon released and signed as a free agent by the Houston Rockets.

Anthony appeared in just 10 games with the Rockets before the team announced that they would seek to trade the veteran forward. The Chicago Bulls agreed to take on his contract in January 2019, before waiving him one week later.

In November 2019, more than a year after he had last appeared in an NBA game, Anthony joined the Portland Trail Blazers. In August 2021, Anthony signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, joining a roster that included LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. Anthony broke several milestones during his time with Los Angeles, moving up to ninth place on the NBA all-time career scoring list in October 2021 and becoming the ninth player in NBA history to reach 28,000 points.

NBA Retirement

Anthony announced his retirement from basketball on May 22, 2023, after 19 seasons in the NBA. “Now the time has come for me to say good-bye… to the game that gave me purpose and pride,” he said upon announcing his retirement. Anthony finished his career a 10-time All Star who made six All-NBA first-teams and was included on the NBA’s all-time 75^th anniversary team. He also won three Olympic gold medals in 2008, 2012, and 2016, as well as a bronze medal in 2004.

Personal Life

After a roughly six-year engagement, Anthony married actor and former MTV VJ La La Anthony (nee Vasquez) in 2010. The couple had a son, Kiyan, prior to their wedding. Now a teenager, Kiyan also plays basketball. After separating in 2017, Carmelo and La La officially began divorce proceedings in June 2021.

Quotes

• Man, I’m not trying to be important; I just go out and play.

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