Carmelo Anthony retires from NBA, after 19-year career, NCAA title, 3 Olympic golds
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, announced his retirement on Monday.
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 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/STAYME7O?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#STAYME7O</a> <a href="https://t.co/4au8cOd13s">pic.twitter.com/4au8cOd13s</a>
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.
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
