Carmelo Anthony At Ease With Not Winning A Championship
By Deasia Paige
As Carmelo Anthony gets close to the end of his career, he is at peace with winning three gold medals and no NBA championship.
New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony recently became the all-time leading scorer for USA Basketball, surpassing Michael Jordan and his friend, LeBron James. And if Team USA wins gold, Anthony would be the the first male basketball player to obtain three gold medals.
With accepting the role as team leader and basically becoming the veteran of the team, Anthony has to terms with his legacy. And a championship doesn’t define his, according to Anthony.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Marc Stein at the Rio Olympics, Anthony insinuated that winning three gold medals is a incredible feat for his career, even if he does not win an championship.
"Most athletes don’t have an opportunity to say that they won a gold medal, better yet three gold medals,” Anthony said. “I would be very happy walking away from the game knowing that I’ve given the game everything I have, knowing I played on a high level at every level: high school, college, won [a championship at Syracuse] in college and possibly three gold medals."
"“I can look back on it when my career is over — if I don’t have an NBA championship ring — and say I had a great career.”"
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Anthony went on to say that he’ll be satisfied with just winning three golds and being able to win in high school and college. As Anthony’s career begins to wind down, he has accepted that, for him, winning a championship does not define his career.
That career includes 10 trips to playoffs and one conference finals appearance when he played for Denver Nuggets.
Anthony’s comments were not taken lightly by Knicks fans, including diehard Knicks fan and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith. Hinting at possibly not winning a championship is the last thing that Knicks fans want to hear.
In what damn world can @carmeloanthony say his career would be great w/out a NBA title? https://t.co/uHNNSnULxZ
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 13, 2016
That’s especially true right now as the team has made significant moves this offseason that leads them in the right direction. The team’s triangle offense that included Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis was sealed when the Knicks acquired Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls.
Their roster was further strengthened by the additions of Courtney Lee, Brandon Jennings and Joakim Noah. But, although Rose claims that people are calling the Knicks a superteam, the team’s success is highly questionable.
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However, this could be Anthony’s close call with winning a championship.
While it is not likely that Anthony will win a championship, the scoring feats of his career speak volumes. Anthony’s legacy will arguably be defined by his impeccable scoring ability that he showcased even in his rookie season.
As a rookie against the Seattle SuperSonics, Anthony scored 40 points. He set a franchise record for the Nuggets for the most points in a game by a rookie and he became the second youngest player in NBA history to score at least 40 points.
In the 2006-07 season, Anthony tied the franchise record of six straight 30 points games, turning the trick twice.
Anthony set the record for most points scored in a quarter when he scored 33 points in the third period in a home win against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2008-09 season. That record was later broken by Klay Thompson in 2015.
In the 2012-13 season with the Knicks, Anthony tied his career-high by scoring 50 points in a win over the Miami Heat, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 50 plus points without any points in the paint.
Anthony improved his career high to 62 points the following season and set the record for the most points in a game at Madison Square Garden.
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So while Carmelo Anthony may not have many championships to characterize his career like his friends LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the nine-time All Star’s shooting ability will have him be remembered as being one of the best scorers in the league’s history.