After just one time on the ballot, Carmelo Anthony was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 2025 class. The 10-time All-Star reflected on the call, discussing the ups and downs of his career that eventually led to him being the Hall’s newest inductee.
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While Melo never thought his Hall of Fame case was in jeopardy, he said that it’s something a player has to put into the back of his mind until he gets that call. Anthony was one of the NBA’s top scorers for over a decade, but his lack of high-profile awards— or a championship—gave some people second thoughts about his case.
Anthony shared how, as an active player, he would often place hypotheticals in his head that would help him attack one goal after the next. Early in his career, Melo believed that if he won a championship, he could start thinking about the Hall. But the former forward revealed that it took him more than 10 years to believe he was deserving.
“I think that took me ’til my last Olympics in ’16 in Rio,” Melo said, talking about when he finally felt secure with his basketball resume. “To be like, ‘Damn. It’s deeper than just the impact I had in the game in the U.S., like this is global.'” Melo believed his international accomplishments were what truly cemented his legacy.
To Melo’s surprise, New York City even celebrated the Knicks legend’s induction, lighting up the Empire State Building in his honor. The 19-year veteran will have the rare distinction of going into the Hall of Fame twice in one year—once for his individual career and another for his role on the 2008 USA “Redeem Team.”
Carmelo Anthony has dominated at every level
Carmelo Anthony put his name on the map as a high schooler at Oak Hill Academy. He was one of the nation’s top prospects and faced off against LeBron James and St. Vincent-St. Mary, but unlike James, Anthony decided to attend college.
Melo put together one of the greatest individual collegiate seasons in NCAA history, leading the Syracuse Orange to a National Championship as a freshman. With dominant averages of 22.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, Anthony was easily the best player in college basketball and cemented himself as a top-three selection in 2003.
Anthony went on to become a lethal scorer at the next level. He won a scoring title in 2013 and had a real case for MVP that same year. He was nominated to six All-NBA teams and boasts an impressive international record as well.
A three-time gold medalist, Melo is one of the most decorated basketball Olympians in the history of the sport. When combining his entire body of work, there’s no doubt that the 40-year-old deserves to be immortalized in Springfield.
