NBA Hall of Famer and former Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups believes the Denver Nuggets should have retired Carmelo Anthony’s No. 15 jersey a year after his retirement, given how much he meant to the franchise—the same number now worn by Nikola Jokic.
The Denver Nuggets’ No. 15 jersey now belongs to their three-time NBA MVP and franchise cornerstone, Nikola Jokic, who led the team to its first championship.
Nikola Jokic
Nikola Jokic
Position: C
Age: 30
Height: 208 cm
Weight: 111 kg
Birth place: Sombor, Serbia
But before Jokic, NBA legend Carmelo Anthony made the number iconic, wearing the No. 15 jersey for eight seasons in Denver.
Years after Anthony’s retirement, the Nuggets have yet to recognize his contributions or retire his jersey.
Current Portland Trail Blazers head coach, Hall of Famer, and former Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups believes the franchise should have honored Anthony immediately after his retirement—arguing that waiting this long has already diminished the moment.
“They should have retired Melo’s jersey the year after he retired,” Billups told Andscape. “Once he retired, I said, ‘All right, cool. He’s done now. He won’t play another game. It is time.’ And so, to me, it is already too late. That should have been the first order of business in terms of retiring Melo’s jersey just because I know exactly what he meant to the organization.”
Credit USA Today Sports-Scanpix
“Melo is one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise,” Billups added. “Obviously, there are so many guys that came before us that were great players. And obviously, there was Joker [Jokic] that came after all of us.
But Melo is one of the best players in the history of the franchise. I’m still in Denver, and all the fans and the people I know still appreciate him. They love him,” he stated.
Anthony, a Hall of Famer and 10-time All-Star, is regarded as one of the greatest scorers in modern NBA history. Over 1,260 career games, he averaged 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists on 44.7% shooting.
While he never captured an NBA championship, Anthony led Denver to the Western Conference Finals in 2009, where the Nuggets pushed Kobe Bryant and the Lakers to six games.
During his tenure, he guided the team to two Northwest Division titles, seven straight playoff appearances, and earned four All-NBA selections.
Why Americans Don’t Understand Nikola Jokic
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