Carmelo Anthony announces retirement after 19 NBA seasons

Carmelo Anthony, the star forward who led Syracuse to an NCAA championship in his lone college season and went on to spend 19 years in the NBA, has announced his retirement.

Anthony, who was not in the NBA this season, retires as the No 9 scorer 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 than Anthony – who finishes his career with 28,289 points.

“Now the time has come for me to say good-bye ... to the game that gave me purpose and pride,” Anthony said in a videotaped message announcing his decision – one he called “bittersweet”.

Thank you #STAYME7O pic.twitter.com/4au8cOd13s

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 only played in the conference finals 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 national championship, 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 US 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 three-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