Before the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals earlier this week, 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony announced that he is retiring after going unsigned during the 2022-23 season.
Ironically, the Lakers are the last team that Anthony played for, and the Nuggets were the first, which makes the announcement fitting, as it may have put into perspective that his playing days are over and winning a championship simply wasn’t going to happen.
Most players of Anthony’s caliber struggle with walking away from the game without winning a championship, but he appears to be at peace with the fact that he was unable to win a ring during his time in the league.
Anthony said the following about not winning a title in his NBA career, according to Sports Illustrated via NBA on ESPN.
Melo is at peace with his career 👏 pic.twitter.com/TYVLDMaNzf
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 24, 2023
With Anthony having a year without playing in the league, to put things in perspective, he seems more than content with his decision and has come to terms with the fact that his basketball career was a success despite not being able to win the elusive championship.
During his time in the NBA, Anthony played for six teams, including the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers.
Anthony went from being one of the best scorers in the league, and in NBA history for that matter, to a viable role player later in his career, which is a transition many superstars find incredibly tough to do.
The soon-to-be 39-year-old will almost certainly be a Hall of Famer when it is all said and done, with an impressive resume that includes a championship for the University of Syracuse and four gold medals with Team USA.
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