Carmelo Anthony Announces Retirement from NBA
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Carmelo Anthony is officially hanging up his jersey.
The NBA player announced he is retiring after spending 19 years in the NBA. Only LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O'Neal scored more than Anthony — who finishes his career with 28,289 points.
"Now the time has come for me to say goodbye ... to the game that gave me purpose and pride," Anthony said in a videotaped message announcing his decision — one he called "bittersweet."
Anthony's legacy has long been secure: He ends his playing days after being selected as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history, a 10-time All-Star, a past scoring champion and a six-time All-NBA selection.
And while he never got to the NBA Finals -- he played in the conference finals only once, with Denver against the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 -- Anthony also knew what it was like to be a champion.
He was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2003 Final Four when he led Syracuse to the title, and he helped USA Basketball win Olympic gold three times -- at Beijing in 2008, at London in 2012 and at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Anthony has played in 31 games in four appearances at the Olympics, the most of any U.S. men's player ever. Anthony's 37 points against Nigeria in the 2012 Games is a USA Basketball men's record at an Olympics, as are his 10 3-pointers from that game and his 13-for-13 effort from the foul line against Argentina in 2008.
He will remain part of international basketball for at least a few more months; Anthony is one of the ambassadors to the Basketball World Cup, FIBA's biggest event, which will be held this summer in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
"I remember the days when I had nothing, just a ball on the court and a dream of something more," said Anthony. "But basketball was my outlet. 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."
