Carmelo Anthony had the privilege to play almost seven seasons at the Big Apple with the New York Knicks. Melo is a New Yorker through and through and takes pride in his city’s identity. Representing his hometown at the highest level of basketball for seven years straight, definitely, was a matter of prestige for him. In an episode of the All The Smoke podcast from 2021, Carmelo revealed how he missed playing at the Madison Square Garden, calling the arena ‘the best place in the world.’
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Carmelo Anthony was one of the greatest players to ever grace the hardwood of the Garden for the Knicks. He scored his career-high 62 points in 2014, against the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets), setting a Knicks single-game scoring record and a Madison Square Garden single-game score record.
Owing to his various achievements and memories from New York, Melo’s reminisce for the New York Knicks and the charm of the Garden is definitely valid.
Carmelo Anthony fondly reminisced about his time playing at MSG
In the 2021 podcast, Carmelo Anthony fondly reminisced about his time at Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks. Melo’s true emotions as a New Yorker surfaced in the interview, as he recalled there is no better place to play in the world than the Madison Square Garden.
The fans created an electrifying and rocking environment during the home games, which Carmelo greatly missed after leaving the Knicks. Recalling his experience at the Garden, Melo said:
“I tell people all the time…You ain’t seen nothing or experienced nothing until you in the Garden when it’s rocking. You understand? When it’s rocking, there is no better place in the world to be in. So for me, that’s home for me every night. But on the flipside of that, I had to perform, like you ain’t coming here they [fans] would let you know.”
Carmelo Anthony on coming back home to the Knicks:
“I tell people all the time…You ain’t seen nothing or experienced nothing until you in the Garden when it’s rocking.”
Creds @shobasketball pic.twitter.com/Wgbj5EVe3Z
— Big Knick Energy (@BigKnickEnergy_) September 26, 2023
The Knicks fanbase is one of the most loyal and dedicated ones in the NBA. The environment and the pressure that the Knicks’ loyals create is hard for any player to live up to when they play for the team. However, Carmelo embraced that pressure wholeheartedly.
He made sure he was at his best when he played for the team, further motivating himself from the loud cheers and support of the Knicks fanbase. No wonder Carmelo misses the atmosphere at the Garden. It propelled him to be one of the best in the league, leaving a lasting legacy for the Knicks and the NBA.
Stanley Johnson once revealed how facing Carmelo Anthony was his ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment
Madison Square Garden’s atmosphere had hardened Carmelo Anthony to become the tough player that we know him as of today. Stanley Johnson, who was drafted into the league in 2015, revealed how facing Melo at the Garden was one of his ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moments. In an article from SI, Johnson was noted saying how Melo was on the verge of taking Johnson’s will rather than playing basketball.
“We had like a back-to-back, or New York, space, New York, and I was a rookie, and he had about 35. I made him work for all of it but at the same time, it was the first game that I went home and your chest hurts, your ribs hurt, your arms hurt, your legs hurt. I just laid in the bed like ‘I’ve got to try a new plan next game.'”
Definitely, we can conclude that Carmelo Anthony’s period with the Knicks graced his glorious career achievements. Melo averaged 24.7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while playing for New York. This very well makes him a contender for the Basketball Hall of Fame induction, for which he becomes eligible in 2026.
