Carmelo Anthony Announces Retirement From NBA After 20-Year Career
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NBA All-Star and icon, Carmelo Anthony, has announced his retirement from the league after a career spanning 20 years. In a series of Instagram videos, the 39-year-old slowly but surely revealed that he’d be embarking on his next journey after basketball.
On Monday (May 22), Anthony shared a heartfelt visual of fans hanging up his jerseys in all of the places that he represents: the Red Hook projects of Brooklyn, Murphy Homes in West Baltimore, and Puerto Rico, where his father is from.
With narration from Nas, the video speaks of him always wanting to give back to his communities and not seeing the accolades and awards as his only driving force. He posted a follow up video showing all of the jersey’s he’s ever played in.
In the most recent video posted, Anthony broke the news that he’d be leaving the league and passing the torch to his high-school athlete son, Kiyan Anthony, who makes an appearance. He also showed a glimpse of his daughter when speaking on his legacy.
“I remember the days when I had nothing, just a ball on the court and a dream of something more,” Anthony started in the video with Ghostface Killah’s “All That I Got Is You” playing in the background. “But now the the time has come for me to say goodbye, to the court where I made my name to the game that gave me purpose and pride. With this bittersweet goodbye to the NBA, I’m excited about what the future holds for me.”
He added, “When people ask what I believe my legacy is, it’s not my feats on the court that come to mind, nor the awards or praise, because my story has always been more than basketball. My legacy, my son, it’s in you. I will forever continue through you because the time has come for you to carry this torch. My legacy now, and forever lives on through you.”
Anthony retires as one of the most prolific players in NBA history. Born in the Red Hook housing projects of Brooklyn, NY, he later moved to West Baltimore, before making a name for himself during the freshman season at Syracuse University. While there, he led his team to the school’s first and only NCAA men’s basketball tournament championship, earning the title of Most Outstanding Player.
As far has Anthony’s professional career, he’s scored 28,289 regular season points, the ninth highest total in NBA history, and his career averages of 22.5 points per game and 6.2 rebounds are amongst other stats. In addition to his undeniable NBA career, Anthony also set the tone as one of the most decorated players to ever play basketball in four U.S. Olympics. He’s won three gold medals dating from 2008, 2012, and 2016.
Besides sports and his many business ventures, the father-of-two has shown his philanthropic efforts and passion for social justice and racial equality. In 2020, he joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul to launch the Social Change Fund United, an organization dedicated to addressing racial injustice by uplifting and investing in underrepresented communities of color through “improved policies, representation, and narrative change.”
As Anthony moves on from the NBA and journeys on the next phase of his life, he does plans to “continue the expansion of his business empire and sustain his commitment to the ongoing fight for social justice,” according to a press release obtained by VIBE. Whatever he may do next, his influence on the game of ball will be talked about for years to come.
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