Former Thunder Carmelo Anthony announces retirement
Carmelo Anthony announced his official retirement following 19 years in the NBA on Monday.
Anthony ends his career as the No. 9 scorer in all-time history with 28,289 career points. The 38-year-old enjoyed a decorative career that included 10 All-Star bids, six All-NBA selections and one scoring title.
Anthony spent his first eight seasons with the Denver Nuggets, followed by seven seasons with the New York Knicks. He was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, where he spent a sole season from 2017-18. In his one season in OKC, he averaged 16.2 points on 40.4% shooting and 5.8 rebounds.
He was part of OKC’s big three of Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Anthony — the latter two were acquired during the 2017 offseason. Alas, the Thunder never really found their groove as they went 48-34 and lost in the first round to the Utah Jazz.
Anthony’s time with the Thunder lasted only one season, as he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in 2018 and was subsequently bought out. He would then spend the twilight years of his career with the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers.
“I remember the days when I had nothing, just a ball on the court and a dream of something more,” Anthony said. My purpose was strong, my communities, the cities I represented with pride and the fans that supported me along the way. I am forever grateful for those people and places because they made me Carmelo Anthony.”
Anthony finishes his career averaging 22.5 points on 44.7% shooting, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Thank you #STAYME7O pic.twitter.com/4au8cOd13s
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) May 22, 2023
