A co-headliner in the 2003 draft with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony ends his career as the ninth player on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
One week shy of his 39th birthday, Carmelo Anthony retired from the NBA on Monday, May 22.
Anthony made the announcement via Twitter, saying, “The time has come for me to say goodbye.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver responded to the post with a statement pointing to Anthony’s potential next stop.
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“Carmelo Anthony is one of the NBA’s all-time great players and ambassadors. We congratulate him on a remarkable 19-year career and look forward to seeing him in the Hall of Fame.”
Anthony played for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers.
A 10-time All-Star with 28,289 career points, Anthony was not under contract during the just-completed season.
He last played with the Lakers in 2021-22.
Anthony’s career appeared to be done in 2019, but one year after he last played for the Rockets, he signed to come off the bench for the Trail Blazers and averaged 15.4 points per game.
Anthony was a three-time gold medal winner for Team USA in the Olympics and led Syracuse to the 2003 NCAA national championship in his lone college basketball season. He was drafted third overall by the Nuggets.