Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce took time to praise Carmelo Anthony for being in the class of 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Both legends faced Melo throughout their own career and lauded the 40-year-old’s consistent body of work over his 19 seasons in the league.
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Melo was a unique combination of strength and skill. Guys like Nicolas Batum and Rudy Gay, amongst others, have explicitly stated just how much they despised guarding the Syracuse alum. Whether it was face-up post-ups with jab steps or backing defenders down in the post, Carmelo put players through the ringer.
KG referred to Anthony as “one of the most aggressive offensive players that we’ve ever seen”. The Big Ticket compared Melo to other big-time scorers, naming him alongside fellow scoring superstars Bernard King, Michael Jordan, and Larry Bird. He believes Melo brings the same aggressiveness on the offensive side of the ball.
“Melo, man. Before the conversion of the 3-4, I think [Denver] played with him at [the two or three]. And he was just too physical for the twos, and he was just too physical for the threes,” Garnett reminisced. “He was the way more physical specimen in every matchup he played.”
Pierce also remembered how tough his matchups were with the newly-inducted Hall of Famer. “I didn’t mind guarding [Kobe] or Bron. You know, they’ll get their numbers and stuff, but I relish guarding them. I actually hated guarding Melo,” the Celtics legend shared.
The 47-year-old expressed that, despite Kobe and LeBron being incredibly tough to contain, they would both dominate with more finesse. “Melo is trying to give you 40 and kind of hurt you doing it,” Pierce explained. “Shouldering your chest, elbows, grabbing, all of that.”
Pierce doesn’t believe Anthony has received the respect he deserves after serving as one of the league’s top scorers for nearly two decades. Considering that many view Melo’s induction into the Hall as controversial, Pierce brings up a valid point.
Carmelo Anthony’s Hall of Fame case was debated for years
Despite receiving 10 All-Star nominations and winning a scoring title, some don’t believe Anthony’s Hall of Fame bid was deserved. Some have shared their belief that Melo put up empty scoring numbers for several years and his actual contributions don’t match up with his numbers. Others believe he’s a top five scorer of all time.
By the time he was 33, Melo was no longer a star in the NBA. He continued to put up serviceable numbers with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers, but he wasn’t the All-NBA talent he was in his prime. This made many question whether Anthony did enough to make it to the Hall.
With the recent announcement, Melo shut his doubters down. It should also be noted that this is the ‘basketball’ Hall of Fame, not just the NBA. His contributions to college basketball as the greatest freshman of all time help him edge out the competition by a landslide.
So, he may have not won a ring in his career and didn’t boast the longevity of someone like LeBron, but he has proven he belongs with his fellow legends.
