Carmelo Anthony wrapped up his NBA career as one of the best pure scorers in basketball history. Now, the retired 10-time NBA All-Star has received the most significant tip of the cap any player can receive after their career.
As ESPN's Shams Charania reported, Anthony has been elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025. He's a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, making the honor even more noteworthy for the former No. 3 pick in the 2003 NBA draft.
Although Anthony spent most of his career with two teams, the franchise that responded best to Anthony's Hall-of-Fame induction was one with which he spent less than a week.
The Atlanta Hawks acquired Anthony, Justin Anderson and a protected first-round pick - but waived the forward roughly 48 hours later.
Regardless, the Hawks took to social media to hilariously praise Anthony's Hall-of-Fame honor, posting a photo of his never-worn team jersey while calling him a "Hawks legend."
HOF status for a Hawks legend pic.twitter.com/1oTT9wfHcG
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 2, 2025
Anthony's career began with the Denver Nuggets, where he spent eight seasons. He played for the New York Knicks for seven seasons and also had stints with the Portland Trail Blazers (two years), Oklahoma City Thunder (one), Los Angeles Lakers (one) and Houston Rockets (one).
During his time with the Nuggets (2003-'11), Anthony received All-NBA second-team honors once and All-NBA third-team honors on three occasions. Anthony won the scoring title in 2013 after joining the Knicks, where he played from 2011-'17.
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This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 10:23 AM.