Melo’s well-decorated Syracuse and NBA legacy could be enshrined into the Hall of Fame by this coming spring.
A familiar Syracuse Orange basketball legend who ended up piling up plenty of accolades in the NBA and with Team USA is officially eligible to be a Hall of Famer and clinch a spot in Springfield.
Carmelo Anthony was one of several notable nominees now eligible for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Melo and the rest of the candidates for the Hall of Fame class of 2025 were released Thursday. Melo joins now-retired NBA stars Marc Gasol and Dwight Howard as the key first-time nominees who are being considered for the Hall of Fame.
If admitted, Anthony would become the fourth person with ties to the Syracuse men’s basketball program to make the Hall of Fame. He would join former Detroit Pistons star guard Dave Bing, long-time Syracuse men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim and Victor “Vic” Hanson (played football, basketball and baseball for Syracuse University; the only player in history to make both the College Football and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Halls of Fame).
Blessed to be named among such incredible players.
My love for basketball is forever. I will always be grateful for this game, and the communities that stood by me as I chased my dreams.
To my family, friends, fans, teammates, and coaches — THANK YOU. #STAYME7O https://t.co/ucgnmW7lG9
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) December 19, 2024
Anthony’s basketball career began on a strong note in Syracuse, where he produced one of the best one-and-done seasons in men’s college basketball history and guided the Orange to their first (and only) NCAA Championship in 2003.
He would end up getting picked No. 3 overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA Draft — only the fourth time a Syracuse player ever went top-three in the draft (Bing, Derrick Coleman and Billy Owens). That kickstarted a successful 19-year career in the NBA, mainly with the Nuggets and New York Knicks.
Anthony would end up playing 7.5 years in Denver, earning four All-NBA selections and getting as high as sixth in MVP voting (2010). The Nuggets would end up winning between 43 and 54 games in Anthony’s seven full seasons with the team, famously peaking in 2009 when Anthony dueled Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
A midseason trade saw Anthony end up back in the Empire State by 2010-11. Melo’s play would continue to remain at a high level for most of the 2010s with the Knicks, making another two All-NBA teams and placing as high as third in MVP voting in 2013. That same year, Anthony led the league in scoring for the only time of his career and guided the Knicks (54-28) to just their third 50-win season in the 21st century and first since 2000.
After 2017, Melo would end up jumping between several teams (Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Lakers). He would formally retire from the NBA in May 2023.
When all was said and done, Anthony finished his career making the All-Star Game 10 times and the All-NBA team six times (four third-team, two second-team). He also currently sits 10th in all-time scoring in league history. All this — combined with a decorated career with Team USA which saw Anthony win four Olympic medals (three gold in 2008, 2012 and 2016) — was enough to earn him a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
Joining Anthony among the notable names eligible for the Hall of Fame include former NBA stars Marc Gasol and Dwight Howard, former WNBA stars Sue Bird and Maya Moore, coaches Doc Rivers and Billy Donovan, Gonzaga men’s basketball coach Mark Few and former Iowa women’s coach Lisa Bluder.
The finalists for the Hall of Fame class of 2025 will be revealed on Friday, February 14 during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. The official list of names making it to the Hall of Fame will be announced in April during Final Four Weekend for men’s college basketball.
Now it’s your turn: what’s your favorite memory from Carmelo Anthony’s Hall of Fame-worthy career?