Carmelo Anthony
Teams
Denver Nuggets - 2003-11
New York Knicks - 2011-17
Oklahoma City Thunder - 2017-18
Houston Rockets - 2018
Portland Trail Blazers - 2019-21
Los Angeles Lakers - 2021-present
Playoffs
Appearances - 13 (2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2018,2020,2021)
Conference Finals - 1 (2009)
NBA Finals - 0
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
All-NBA Second Team - 2 (2010,2013)
All-NBA Third Team - 4 (2006,2007,2009,2010,2012,2013)
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Total Points - #12
Points Per Game - #27
Three-Pointers Made - #33
League Leads
Points Per Game (#1-2013, #2-2007,2014, #3-2010,2011, #4-2008)
Total Points (#2-2014, #5-2008,2013)
Carmelo Anthony only played one year of college basketball at Syracuse, averaging 22.2 points and 10 rebounds per game, and he led the Orange to their only national championship, setting the freshman tournament scoring record and winning the Most Outstanding Player award along the way, which led to him being picked #3 overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Anthony led all rookies in scoring that year, putting up 21.0 points per game, and led the Nuggets to the playoffs, becoming the first rookie since David Robinson to lead a playoff team in scoring. He was unanimously voted to the All-Rookie Team, but lost the Rookie of the Year award to LeBron James.
Anthony became one of the best scorers in the league over the next few years. In his third year, he averaged 26.5 per game, then set his career high the next year with 28.9 per game, which was #2 in the league that season, behind only Kobe Bryant. He surpassed 25 points per game again the next year, giving him 3 straight years at that level, but the Nuggets fell in the first round of the playoffs in each of those seasons.
In 2008-09, his scoring dipped to 22.8 per game, but the Nuggets had their best season during his time with the team, earning the #2 seed in the West and winning 2 playoff series before falling to the Lakers in the Conference Finals. So far, it is the only Conference Finals Anthony has reached in his career.
The next year, he boosted his scoring back up near the top of the league, dropping 28.2 per game, good for third place, and averaged over 30 points per game in the playoffs for the first time, but the Nuggets fell to the Jazz in the first round. It was reported that Anthony had requested a trade after the season, but it didn't take place until the next season's trade deadline, when he was dealt to the New York Knicks.
His first full season in New York was marred by injuries to most of the team, but with a healthy roster in 2012-13, things somewhat came together. Anthony led the league in scoring with 28.7 per game, and he led the Knicks to their first playoff series win in 13 years, but they fell in the second round to the Pacers, ending their season.
Things fell apart after that in New York. Anthony still put up big scoring numbers, but the Knicks missed the playoffs in each of the next 4 seasons, and in 2017, he requested a trade. He was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he averaged only 16.2 points per game before being traded away after the season in a cost-cutting move.
He signed on with the Houston Rockets for the next season, but the team decided after just 10 games that it wasn't working out, and did not play him for over 2 months before finally trading him away to the Bulls, who immediately released him.
Anthony was not able to find another team during that season, but found a home in Portland for the past couple of seasons, where he played well in a lesser role than before while continuing to climb up the all-time scoring list. Portland lost in the first round in both seasons with Anthony, and he has recently signed with the Lakers in hopes of finally getting over the hump in the playoffs.
Anthony is one of only 5 players in history to score at least 20 points per game in each of their first 14 seasons, joining LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O'Neal on that list. Despite the high scoring numbers, his other stats have all been relatively average for most of his career, and he has only gotten past the first round of the playoffs twice, and to the Conference Finals only once. Still, there is no doubt that a player this talented can't be left off the list of the greatest players of all time.
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