In a short video posted on his social media account, NBA veteran Carmelo Anthony officially retired from the sport he has played for over 20 years.
In the video clip, the 10-time NBA All-Star, entrepreneur, and philanthropist spoke about his legacy and, in the video, stated he is passing the torch to his son, Kiyan, who was recently offered a basketball scholarship to Anthony’s alma mater, Syracuse University.
Currently, Anthony, a potential first-time ballot NBA Hall of Famer, is a top 10 scorer who is listed at No. 9. Although he was born in New York City, in the Red Hook housing projects of Brooklyn, his family moved to the Murphy Homes in Baltimore when he was a child. He attended Syracuse University, where he led the team to its first and only NCAA men’s basketball tournament championship.
After winning the championship, the talented player was drafted at No. 3 in the first round by the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA Draft. Anthony also played for the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Los Angeles Lakers during his legendary career.
In addition to his undeniable NBA success, Anthony is the most decorated player in United States Olympic men’s basketball history. While playing in four separate Olympics, he became the United States Olympic men’s all-time leader in games played and rebounds while ranking second in points.
The former Knicks player scored 28,289 regular season points and averaged 22.5 points per game while pulling down 6.2 rebounds, which speaks to his consistent excellence. In the NBA playoffs, his scoring average was slightly better during 13 postseason appearances, averaging 23.1 points per game.
As Anthony’s career ends, his many business ventures will keep him busy as he watches his son try to duplicate and/or surpass his success in the basketball world.