Carmelo Anthony has always been known as one of the smoothest scorers in basketball history. From midrange fades to post-ups and isolation plays, he made putting up 25+ points look routine. But according to Melo, there’s a reason the game came so naturally to him: he learned the finer details of scoring from the greatest to ever do it, Michael Jordan.
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On a recent episode of 7PM in Brooklyn, Melo opened up about some of the players who influenced his game. Names like Mitch Richmond, Paul Pierce, and Bernard King came up.
But when it came to MJ, Melo revealed that he learned the most important aspect of his game, scoring, from Jordan. Melo, a lifelong admirer of MJ, got a chance to spend time with him early in his career. It was during those interactions that Jordan taught him how to be an effective scorer for your team.
He said, “When I went to MJ, for the weeks that I went and spent time with him. He really taught me angles. He taught me the art of scoring. How to average 28 the easiest way. Seven points a quarter. When you think about seven points a quarter, that’s a three, a layup, and two free throws.”
The focus was not on flashy highlights or signature moves. It was about understanding how to break a game down. That approach made everything click. Whether it was a layup, a pull-up three, or a trip to the free-throw line, MJ emphasized making each possession count. At one point in his career, Melo averaged nearly 10 free throws a game, showing how effectively he applied those lessons.
Jordan showed Melo how to use angles, footwork, and timing to create high-percentage opportunities. Melo remembered being in awe of how simple Jordan made the game look. Even when MJ was far beyond his physical prime during his final years in Washington, he still found ways to score efficiently.
Melo said, “The game looks so easy to him. He’s just catching it, two dribbles, right, shot fake, get to the rack, one dribble…I’m like, ‘Damn.’ He’s just picking his spots, and they can’t do sh*t about it.” That ability to read defenders, predict plays, and counter every move left a lasting impression.
Being a Jordan Brand athlete only deepened Melo’s connection with MJ. Melo’s career scoring average, his dominance with Team USA, and his decade-long run as a top offensive weapon all trace back to those core principles taught by Michael Jordan.
