Former Knicks star Carmelo Anthony announces NBA retirement

Carmelo Anthony, the Brooklyn-born former Knicks star who scored the ninth-most points in NBA history, announced his retirement Monday after 19 seasons.

The 10-time All-Star averaged 22.5 points per game for his career and helped revitalize a New York team that hadn’t posted a winning season in a decade before his arrival in 2011.

Anthony, 38, also played for the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers, last appearing in a game during the 2021-22 season.

“The time has come for me to say goodbye to the court where I made my name, to the game that gave me purpose and pride,” Anthony said in a video announcement. “With this bittersweet goodbye to the NBA, I am excited about what the future holds for me.”

Anthony played one season of college basketball with Syracuse, leading the Orange to an NCAA title in 2003. The Nuggets selected him third overall in the NBA Draft that year, and he finished second in rookie of the year voting to LeBron James.

The 6-foot-7 Anthony spent his first eight years with Denver before a mid-season trade in 2011 to the upstart Knicks, who had added fellow star forward Amar’e Stoudemire during the previous offseason. New York finished the 2010-11 season at 42-40 — their first winning record since 2000-01 — and made the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons.

The Knicks were swept by the Celtics in their first-round series that year. They qualified again for the playoffs in 2011-12 but suffered another opening-round exit, falling in five games to the Miami Heat.

Anthony turned in his best season with the Knicks in 2012-13, leading the NBA with 28.7 points per game to clinch the only scoring title of his career. The Knicks finished as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and beat the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, marking their first postseason series win since 2000. They were knocked out in the second round by the Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks didn’t make the playoffs again during Anthony’s tenure, which ended with a trade to the Thunder during the 2017 offseason. Anthony averaged 24.7 points per game with the Knicks and was named to the All-Star team during each of his six full seasons with New York. His 62 points on Jan. 24, 2014, remain the Knicks’ and Madison Square Garden’s single-game record.

After starting every game he played with Denver, New York and Oklahoma City, Anthony transitioned to a bench role toward the end of his career. He scored 13.3 points per game for the Lakers during his final season.

Anthony scored 28,289 points in his career, made six All-NBA teams and was included on the league’s 75th-anniversary roster of the greatest players in history. He also won three Olympic gold medals with the Team U.S.A. basketball team and is second behind Kevin Durant with 336 career points across four Summer Games.

“When people ask what I believe my legacy is, it’s not my feats on the court that come to mind, nor the awards or praise, because my story has always been more than basketball,” Anthony said in his retirement video.

He then spoke about his son, 16-year-old Kiyan Anthony, who has received basketball offers from Division 1 colleges including Syracuse, Illinois and Indiana.

“My legacy, now and forever, lives on through you,” Anthony said.

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