Carmelo Anthony has officially called it quits.
One of the greatest scorers the NBA has ever seen, announced his retirement on social media on May 22.
“Now the time has come for me to say goodbye,” Anthony said. “To the court where I made my name to the game that gave me purpose and pride. With this bittersweet goodbye to the NBA, I am excited about what the future holds for me.”
The announcement video ends with Anthony passing the torch to his son, Kiyan.
“My legacy, now and forever, lives on through you,” Anthony said.
Thank you #STAYME7O pic.twitter.com/4au8cOd13s
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) May 22, 2023
Kiyan is a sophomore guard at Christ The King Regional in New York. He is a four-star prospect, the No. 3 prospect in New York and the No. 62 player in the country, according to 247Sports.
As for Anthony, he retires as the ninth all-time leading scorer in NBA history with 28,289 points. He played for 19 seasons, and the majority of 18 of those 19 years. Anthony was the third pick in the historic 2003 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. In 2004, he became the only rookie to win every NBA Rookie of the Month award and not win the actual NBA Rookie of the Year honor, which went to LeBron James. Anthony led the Orange to a national championship in his lone year at Syracuse. During summers, on teams that featured the likes of Kobe Bryant and James, Anthony built up his case to be the greatest men’s Olympic basketball player ever. The rules of international competition and dimensions of the court favored the big scorer’s game and playing style.
Later in his career, he began to stand up for social issues. He, James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade opened the 2016 ESPYs to advocate for change in regard to police brutality and racial profiling.
