Although the Los Angeles Lakers were not able to find any success in the 2021-22 NBA season, it was still a roster filled with future Hall of Famers. Six to be exact, including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo.
There weren’t many positives to take away from that series, but Anthony was one of them as he did whatever was asked of his and constantly energized the crowd coming off the bench and knocking down big shots.
In 69 games that season, Anthony averaged 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 37.5% from 3-point range, showing he could still play in his 19th NBA season.
It turns out that season would be his last though as no team was willing to sign Anthony for the 2022-23 season despite him staying in shape. And now with the season about to come to a close, Anthony took to social media to put out an awesome video announcing his retirement from the NBA:
Thank you #STAYME7O pic.twitter.com/4au8cOd13s
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) May 22, 2023
Anthony finished his career as a member of the Lakers, but he will forever be known for his stellar play with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks during his prime years.
In 19 seasons, Anthony was named to 10 All-Star teams, six All-NBA teams and the league’s top 75 team while winning the 2012-13 scoring title. With 28,289 career points, he currently sits in ninth place on the league’s all-time scoring list.
Anthony will surely be headed to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame one day as in addition to his stellar NBA career, he also won a National Championship in his lone season at Syracuse while also bringing home three gold medals as a member of Team USA in the Olympics.
In addition to his lone season with the team, Lakers fans will always remember Anthony for the postseason battles he had with Kobe Bryant as a member of the Nuggets. Anthony’s team lost to the Lakers in the first round in 2008 and then in the Western Conference Finals in 2009.
As Anthony mentioned in his retirement video, his legacy now lives on with his son Kiyan, who plays in high school and has already received from college offers for when he graduates in 2025. Now that Anthony’s playing days are over, he can focus on watching his kids play and seeing them thrive.
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