Carmelo Anthony, the star forward who led Syracuse University to the NCAA title in his only college basketball season before playing 19 seasons in the NBA, announced his professional retirement on Monday.
Anthony, who has not played in the NBA this season, will therefore hang on his sneakers by occupying the ninth echelon of scorers in league history.
Only LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal scored more points than him — Anthony finished his career with a total of 28,289 points.
“Now is the time to say goodbye…to the sport that gave me an identity and a sense of pride,” Anthony reflected in a video confirming his decision — which he called “bittersweet.”
Anthony’s legacy is undeniable: he concluded his professional career after being named one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history, made 10 All-Star Game appearances and was named six times on the NBA All-Star Team.
And while he never made the NBA Championship Series—he made just one conference final series, with the Denver Nuggets against eventual champions Los Angeles Lakers in 2009— Anthony has already savored the conquest of a championship.
He was named the “Final Four” MVP in 2003 after leading Syracuse University to the NCAA title, and he contributed to Team USA’s three Olympic victories — in Beijing in 2008 , in London in 2012 and in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Anthony was selected by the Nuggets third overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, and was part of a historic crop that also included James (No. 1), Chris Bosh (No. 4) and Dwyane Wade (No. 5).
The American would normally be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He averaged 22.5 points per game in 19 seasons in the NBA, spending most of his career with the Nuggets and New York Knicks.
Anthony also played for the Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets, before concluding his career with the Lakers last season. No team presented him with an offer last summer, and now his retirement is official.