Carmelo Anthony, one of the most gifted scorers in NBA history, has officially been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Anthony has been notified of his election, making him a first-ballot Hall of Famer—an honor befitting a player whose resume speaks volumes about his legacy and longevity in the game.
Anthony played 19 seasons in the NBA after being selected as the No. 3 overall pick in the iconic 2003 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. From the moment he stepped onto the court, Anthony brought an elite scoring prowess that very few in the league could match.
He was named to 10 All-Star teams, made six All-NBA appearances, and was crowned the NBA’s scoring champion in 2013, averaging 28.7 points per game with the New York Knicks in what is widely considered his best individual season.
Over his career, Carmelo averaged 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, shooting 44.7% from the field and 35.5% from three. He ranks 10th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 28,289 career points—an astounding feat given that he was often criticized for his isolation-heavy style in a league evolving toward ball movement and efficiency.
Despite the critiques, Melo always delivered buckets. Whether it was in Denver where he led the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals in 2009, or in New York where he revived the franchise’s relevancy, he was always a go-to guy when it mattered.
Anthony’s impact wasn’t limited to the NBA. He is the second most decorated men’s basketball Olympian in Team USA history, winning three gold medals (2008, 2012, 2016) and one bronze (2004). He was the all-time leading scorer in Team USA men’s Olympic history until Kevin Durant overtook him and played a vital role in restoring American dominance in international play.
His induction into the Hall of Fame comes alongside other icons like Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, and Maya Moore—making this one of the most stacked Hall of Fame classes in recent memory. But Carmelo’s election feels particularly poetic.
After years of being undervalued toward the end of his career, including a stint where he was out of the league for over a year, his return and eventual retirement with the Lakers in 2022 helped fans and analysts alike re-appreciate what he brought to the game: pure scoring brilliance and a love for basketball that never wavered.
Named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, Anthony’s legacy was already cemented among the greatest to ever do it. Now, with his Hall of Fame election, that legacy becomes immortal.
From his early days at Syracuse where he won a national championship as a freshman, to his stints across six NBA teams, to becoming a symbol of excellence for a generation of scorers—Carmelo Anthony’s journey to Springfield is not just deserved, it’s destiny.
