10x All-Star Carmelo Anthony has come a long way since his days as a star for the Denver Nuggets.
But after making a home for himself in New York City, where he played for 7 seasons, he was shipped off to Oklahoma City in a rather messy divorce. Eventually, he was exiled from the league completely and found himself without a job 10 games into the 2018-19 season.
Anthony was finally given another chance in Portland, where he revived his career and went on to open many opportunities in 2021 free agency.
In the end, he chose to join the Purple and Gold in Los Angeles, with the hopes that he could finally add a Champion to his already illustrious resume.
But, as the 18-year veteran revealed on ‘Posted Up’ with Chris Haynes, he did consider returning to Madison Square Garden this summer.
“It was (hard) because I had just moved and bought a house in New York,” Anthony said. “It was unexpected. My son starts school (today) in New York. So it was like, I’m here, I’m home. I never expected the Lakers to call.”
It sounds like he was content with returning to the Knicks, and it’s no secret that it’s a place he has considered home for a long time now.
Ultimately, it was winning that drove Melo to L.A. instead, and when the Lakers came calling, it was an opportunity he just couldn’t pass up.
“Having a great chance to win [was what made me decide to join the Lakers]. It took me some days to really like sit down and kind of break it down and really dig deep into making that decision,” Anthony said.
“To most people, it probably would have been an easy decision to make. But to me, it wasn’t. I really have to align a lot of things and put things in order for things to work out, for me to feel comfortable to be away from my family for another year and the kids not being there. People don’t understand that part. That’s the hardest part. The basketball (part) is easy.”
The New York Knicks aren’t the same team they were when Melo left. For the first time in years, the franchise is ripe with pride and optimism about their future, and things appear to be finally headed in the right direction.
But, for Anthony, he’s running out of time to become a Champion. At 37-years-old, this could very well be his last chance to raise the Larry O’Brien trophy.
We’ll see soon enough if his decision pays off, and if he’ll ever end up wearing a Knicks jersey again.
