Sharpshooting Hall of Fame combo forward Carmelo Anthony was one of the most electric offensive stars of his generation. He lit up scoreboards throughout his 19 NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Anthony spent his best pro seasons with the Knicks and Nuggets. Did the 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA honoree do enough with either team to warrant a franchise retirement?
Although arguments have been made that the Syracuse product's former No. 15 jersey should be retired in Denver, the fact that three-time Nuggets MVP and 2023 Finals MVP center Nikola Jokic wears the same number threatens to throw a wrench into that operation.
In conversation with NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson recently, former embattled Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury made the case for Anthony's No. 7 jersey to be hung into the rafters for New York.
“I think he means a lot to the organization," Marbury argued. "I do think that his jersey should be retired. I think that he’s done a lot for the sport, for the game. His style of play was his style of play. It was his own style which can’t be duplicated.”
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Anthony didn't actually enjoy a ton of postseason success with the Knicks, guiding New York to three playoff appearances during his six-and-a-half seasons with the franchise (he was acquired by the Knicks midway through 2010-11).
The Knicks only won a single playoff series in those three appearances, circa 2013. Anthony was also the league's leading scorer that season and finished third in MVP voting.
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Still, Anthony in his prime was one of the great scorers of his era, and the fact that he forced his way to New York helped re-establish the Knicks as a destination franchise in the league after a decade spent largely in the lottery-bound wilderness.
During his New York era, Anthony posted averages of 24.7 points on .443/.369/.830 shooting splits, 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks across 412 regular season games (all starts).
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