Former NBA stars have quite a few options to choose from once they retire from the league. Some go into coaching, some become analysts, others start businesses, and a few aim to become front office executives. It all comes down to a love of the game, and few have loved it more than Carmelo Anthony, who recently spoke about the possibility of taking on one of those roles during an interview.
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On his show Podcast P, Paul George poked guest Anthony about taking on the role of a team president—a big role. Melo smiled, hinting that he wouldn’t mind it, but never gave a concrete answer, instead steering the convo in a different direction.
“Here’s why I won’t never be a head coach,” began Melo. “For me to coach you, my standards are way too high. I don’t feel like I would be a really good coach because my passion for the game would get in the way. I don’t think anybody at that age, especially a younger age, would know how to accept that passion coming from me.”
It would be hard to deny this.
Melo’s love for basketball and his skills on the court might not translate the same way in a role where he’s drawing up plays instead of feeling out the moment with the ball in his hands.
PG, however, once again, presented Melo with a hypothetical: “Knicks come to you right now. They say listen, Melo, we want you to be president. You taking it?” asked the 76ers star.
Anthony once again searched for the right answer before admitting he would be hesitant.
“You’ve got to really think about that, bro. Front office, it’s tough. It’s tough, bro,” the 40-year-old legend stated. That said, he did give PG a little bit of what he really wanted to here. “Front office, I would really have to have a really good team. Really good front office team, really good numbers guy. I’d have to build it like a team.”
Thankfully for the sport of basketball, Anthony hasn’t been hesitant about staying connected to the game. He recently announced that he’ll be joining NBC as a studio analyst. The Naismith Hall of Fame inductee also hosts his own podcast, 7 PM in Brooklyn, where he discusses everything going on around the league.
All of this to say—Melo doesn’t necessarily need to be a coach or team president to further his legacy. He may have never won a ring, but his contributions in Denver and New York have cemented him as one of the best players of his era over his 19-season career.
It’s funny to still hear Anthony refer to himself as a New Yorker—a team and city he loved being associated with—even though he was on the squad during one of the darker periods in Knicks history. Maybe one day he’ll take on a new role in basketball. But again, he certainly doesn’t need to—unless he wants to.
