“I was the first signature athlete under the Jordan Brand,”: $160 Million Man Carmelo Anthony was Taught the Art of Scoring by His Airness  

CaThe prestige of being the first athlete to be chosen by the Jordan brand must make Carmelo Anthony feel good. The forward, who is also one of the greatest scorers in the world, took pride in that. But before he stepped foot into the NBA, he had a unique opportunity at hand.

Carmelo was picked from Syracuse University as a Jordan brand athlete all the way back in 2003. At the same time, the namesake, Michael Jordan was retiring from the NBA. He wanted someone to take up the mantle. And what better candidate than the guy who was compared to LeBron James?

So, naturally, he would want Carmelo to find his footing faster and herald the Jordan brand in the NBA. Carmelo was told to not hesitate to ring Jordan up. Michael was ready to teach him everything. All of it. And particularly “the art of scoring”.

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Carmelo Anthony’s 2 weeks with Michael Jordan and what it taught him

Carmelo Anthony knew that MJ trusted him and he could call him. So early in his career, when he was troubled by the defense, certain moments in the game, and certain players, he called up Michael.

Carmelo’s recollection is fascinating, he says,

“I went to spend two weeks with MJ in Chicago. We trained every morning — 6:00, (and)6:30 in the morning. But it was more the conversations that we had, the way he broke (the)film down to me. I didn’t know how to watch (the)film, and he broke it down for me, ‘Watch it like this, do this, do that.’ Then he taught me how to break down the art of scoring the basketball. And I’m like, ‘Man, I already know how to put the ball in the hoop. It’s what I do.’ But he’s like, ‘No, I’m going to give you the mental part of it.’”

And here is where Jordan broke down the “7 points in a quarter” rule that helped him average over 30 in his career. Of course, Jordan would break it down into components and find a mental edge in scoring the basketball.  Over his twenty-year career, Carmelo Anthony has averaged 22.5 ppg. He is also worth a cool $160 million.

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How Carmelo Anthony became the first Jordan brand athlete

Prior to this lesson, Carmelo lit up the NCAA circuit. In 2003, it was inevitable that LeBron James would be the no.1 pick. But the person coming after him was still a tossup. Here is where Carmelo came into the picture.

The freshman from Syracuse University averaged 22 and 10, helping them to the NCAA title in his first attempt. For his efforts in the tournament, he was named the MVP.

Initially, he wanted to study for 2-3 years before declaring for the draft, however, his excellence helped him reach the NBA in just his first year.

This newfound fame helped him sign for the Jordan brand. They paid him $3.5 million for the first 6 years of his contract. And the rest is history.

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