Goodbye to a Legend: Carmelo Anthony Ends his Career After 19 Years

The world of the NBA received one of the saddest news in recent years, the 38-year-old forward Carmelo Anthony made his retirement from professional basketball official. The athlete puts an end to a 19-year career, in which he managed to enter the history books of this sport. In the middle of an emotional video, 'Melo' commented that it is time to focus on other aspects.

Despite not currently competing in the best league in the world, Anthony continued to expect that a team would hire him for the following seasons, since, this season, the forward was a free agent. Seeing that this new opportunity did not come to fruition, the basketball player made the determination to end his career as a professional athlete.

The legacy of 'Melo'

After spending 19 seasons in the NBA, Carmelo Anthony will enter the league's Hall Of Fame, remembering his great deeds for all the teams he came to play for and, especially, for his enormous legacy with the National Team shirt from the United States.

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Since his arrival in the NBA in the 2003 Draft, Anthony generated a revolution in this sport. His athleticism, speed, and agility when scoring points were a change that basketball was crying out for. Despite the fact that he did not win any championship in this league, Carmelo Anthony is considered one of the great basketball players of this century, an aspect that is endorsed by his individual achievements.

The king without a crown

Being signed by Denver was one of the great challenges for this basketball player, since this franchise had never reached an NBA final in its history. Despite the fact that Carmelo left his first years in this team, he had the misfortune of meeting Kobe Bryant on the road, a rival who left him diminished on several occasions from being able to play a definition for the ring.

By then, Denver did not have the appropriate roster to play against the famous Lakers of the time. This is why the team led by Kobe Bryant always won the game against the Nuggets. Over the years, Carmelo Anthony lost his enthusiasm for this franchise, which never hired outstanding players to support this sports project.

As a consequence of this, in 2010, the forward made the determination to go to the New York Knicks, a franchise that welcomed him with open arms and gave him the chance to live his best years as a professional athlete. His arrival in this team was a balm for all his fans, who quickly turned him into an idol.

The leader of the 'Dream Team'

Many experts mention that Carmelo Anthony came to achieve with the United States National Team everything that he could not in the NBA. Since 2008, the native of Brooklyn began to build an impressive legacy with the jersey of his country, which was increased with the passage of the Olympic Games.

The 38-year-old athlete is the only basketball player in the world to have three gold medals at the Olympic Games. These medals were obtained in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016, being one of the great leaders of the US team in all these competitions. Also, in Athens 2004, the forward won the bronze medal, an aspect that makes him one of the most winning athletes in these fairs.

A true legend

In the 19 years that he was in the NBA, Carmelo Anthony went through the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers, teams that gave him the opportunity to become the ninth leading scorer of the league. In total, 'Melo' scored 28,289 points in 1,260 games played.

Additionally to this, he was chosen among the 75 best basketball players in the world, an aspect that is ratified by being named 10 times to the All Star Game and 2 times to the best team of the season. With these great statistics, all NBA fans comment that the only thing missing from his magnificent career was a league title, which always left this basketball player frustrated.

What's next?

Through his farewell statement, Carmelo Anthony commented that he will never walk away from the sport he loves, so now he will focus solely on supporting his son, who is in charge of carrying on his legacy in the coming years. In addition, he will continue to be aware of all his social projects, an aspect that has always come to characterize him throughout his career as a professional.

Regardless of whether this is a bittersweet farewell, Carmelo Anthony will always be remembered as one of the great legends of the NBA, an athlete who left the name of his country high in the Olympic Games and who, with his charisma and love for the sport, revolutionized the way to see this sport.