[Shams] After 19 NBA seasons, Carmelo Anthony announces he has retired from basketball. A 10-time All-Star, voted on the 75 Greatest Anniversary team and one of the game’s greatest scorers ever.
After 19 NBA seasons, Carmelo Anthony announces he has retired from basketball. A 10-time All-Star, voted on the 75 Greatest Anniversary team and one of the game's greatest scorers ever.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 22, 2023
by Nidzo_888
31 Comments
Who?
The reason I’m a Nuggets fan. I hated when he requested that trade as I think Nuggets could win it all that season (I still cheered for him when he played for Knicks). Legendary jab step and “soft” dunks. The real rookie of the year 2004. The reason I stayed up/woke up early in junior high and high school. That series against Mavs…
The bitterness will always be there but today I’ll appreciate the player he was
Love or hate him, he put Denver on the map and made us contenders.
I don’t even think Melo knew how good he’d be in the NBA either.
We were literally the worst team in the NBA and immediately transformed us into a competitive franchise.
100% deserving of Denver HoF.
Melo put the Nuggets back on the map. I know I hated when he requested a trade, but if the Nuggets win the championship this year I think we all need to forgive and forget. Let Melo come home because Jokic and Murray are probably staying longer and are better than he was in a Denver uni.
What’s sad is that I just feel completely apathy at this news. Melo could have been an all time GOAT Denver Athlete like Elway, or Helton, or Sakic, (plus many more!). He was fun to watch and he had a great career, but because of his decision to bail he’s just another guy to me.
Carmelo is responsible for the massive turnaround this franchise had. Anyone living in the early 2000s remembers how much of an afterthought the Nuggets were especially after the 17 win season. One year after drafting melo we rebranded our jerseys, got Karl and became competitive once again. Melo was a huge part of taking the team from a joke to a playoff contender. His game didn’t age well but Melo in the post in his prime was an absolute monster. I had a melo poster on my wall. I had the melo blue shoes. I bought the Carmelo candy bar (it sucked). Melo was a huge part of my childhood. Thank you Melo!
He is the reason I’ve been a Nuggets fan for almost 20 years, so thanks for that. For everything else, I’m always gonna be bitter
We drafted Jamal with part of the return we got from Melo.
I’ll always be thankful he requested a trade, and you should be too.
FADED
Melo is a big reason why I became a fan in 09-10. Hate how he left, but he was fun to watch man. Happy retirement!
Remember the coach in the Olympics wouldn’t let him play until he played defense. And he was pretty good at it. And he came back to NBA and forgot all about it?
I know there’s some hard feelings rn but as a kid that grew up on the east coast I became a nuggets fan because of Melo.
I wish they had more playoff success, but honestly I think Melo/Kmart/AI really made the nuggets internationally cool at the time
One of the greatest offensive talents in league history. Thank you Melo for putting the Nuggets back on the map after years of desolate play.
Maybe they can throw him a big party at MSG. On to game 4!
Wasnt the pick from the Melo trade used for Jamal Murray?
Remember we wouldn’t have Jamal if it weren’t for the Carmelo Anthony trade. Thanks Melo!
As someone not from Denver who became a Nuggets fan because of Melo, I will always cherish my childhood memories of staying up way too late (I live in Florida) to watch the Nuggets play on school nights and him just giving buckets to every single team we faced off against. I will always be a little hurt he left the way he did, but am grateful he brought me to such an incredible and fun fan base to be a part of. Go Nuggets!!!
I’ll always have a complicated relationship with Melo. He was my favorite player in the world for a while when we drafted him. I bought his Syracuse jersey, McDonald’s all America jersey, you name it… obviously the trade and all the drama made me think very differently of him, to a point I still can’t reconcile to this day. And yes he did put us back on the map, no question. But two other guys we could’ve picked would’ve done the same and it’s not even a debate we didn’t get the best player at 3 in that draft. That would’ve been Wade. So thank you, Melo, for everything. I don’t want to be bitter but you made it that way.
I’d like to toast James Dolan
Thank you melo. Became a nugs fan because of you
He made me a Nugget fan. Its been a long while since he left. I have no issue with him. But he should have retired like 2 years ago lol
What a random time to announce this lol
It might be wishful thinking, but it would be super dope if he was supporting the Nuggets through the finals.
I think it might wash away a lot of bad blood.
Jokic’s 15 will be retired, not his…
The petty side of me says never put him in the rafters, but being logical it’s fucked up if they don’t. Retire the number with Joker eventually when he’s done, but aside from him Melo had the biggest impact on this franchise in its history. If you deny it you’re just being petty, which I understand lol
The announcement image I saw on socials first was him in a Knicks jersey.
Which is fitting. The bitterness cuts both ways.
Melo and I are the same age, and I’ll never forget how excited I was when the Nuggets drafted him. Loved watching him at Cuse and was sure he was going to be a star. My Nuggets fandom had slipped in high school when I moved away from Denver and games were hard to watch, but we got a satellite during Melo’s one season at Cuse, and I watched so much basketball that year. Melo helped bring me back to the Nuggets, and I’ve watched 70+ games live every year since. Wish things had ended differently for his time in Denver, and wish he’d been able to get to the Finals. I’m ambivalent about him and his career, but grateful for all of the fun memories of watching him.
The first NBA game I ever attended in person was when Melo scored 50 on the Knicks.
When my wife and I were first dating, we were lying together on the couch and he hit a game-winner against the Wolves and I celebrated so hard I knocked her off the couch.
The day before my wife and I got married, my groomsmen and I all smoked cigars and watched us blow that 09 WCF against the Lakers. I remember thinking that at least I wouldn’t have to spend my honeymoon trying to find a way to watch Finals games, sure we’d be back to the WCF soon enough…
Whatever happens with Melo, jersey wise, there is sentimentality with his tenure and he is an iconic player, but #15 should be reserved for full retirement once someone else is done playing.
I moved to Colorado as a furious teenager and absolutely hated it. It was of the middle of the winter so I couldnt go out side, didnt know anyone, couldnt drive, no internet or xbox so literally just stuck sitting inside for a month being the only kid in the world looking forward for school to start.
The only thing I had was a crappy 17″ tv with the local channels to keep my sanity. Cant remember the exact details but Melo was playing out of his mind setting a record for most consecutive 40+ games in a row so thats all that the local media was talking about. Just every night was “Melo and the nuggets set another record.” Figured screw it might as well follow the team to give me something to do and convinced my mom to spend like $7 for nose bleed seats and immediately became obsessed!
Eventually grew to love Colorado, the mountains, skiing, the Avs, Broncos and everything else this great state has to offer but the Nuggets will always have a special spot in my heart for the first part of Colorado that I fell in love with. All thanks to Melo and the Thuggets!
/Emotional Rant
Should have stayed in Denver.