Springfield, Mass. — Carmelo Anthony officially joined basketball’s most exclusive club on Sept. 6, 2025, when he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The 10-time NBA All-Star took the stage at the Hall’s Symphony Hall alongside presenters Allen Iverson and close friend Dwyane Wade. The ceremony, part of the Class of 2025 festivities, celebrated Anthony’s 19-year career that included 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game across 1,260 appearances for the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Career and Honors
Selected third overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony captured the 2012-13 scoring title, earned six All-NBA selections and was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. Although he never secured a championship ring, his mid-post scoring prowess and memorable playoff battles — notably against Lakers legend Kobe Bryant — solidified his place among the game’s elite.
Ceremony Highlights
Anthony’s speech featured several emotional moments:
- He opened with the phrase, “The dogs are barking,” a nod to his competitive spirit.
- He honored his late father, saying, “You left this world too soon, but you never left me.”
- Reflecting on the sport itself, he told the audience, “You gave a kid from the projects a passport to the world. I gave the game everything I had.”
Anthony’s son, Kiyan, later posed with the Hall of Fame jacket and ring, capping an evening dedicated to family and legacy.
Lakers Connection
Anthony spent his final NBA season (2021-22) with the Lakers, sharing a roster with fellow 2025 inductee Dwight Howard. During media availability leading up to the ceremony, Anthony revealed he was nearly traded to Los Angeles in 2011, a move that could have paired him with Bryant one season after the Lakers’ 2010 championship.
The forward’s late-career stop in Los Angeles may have been brief, yet his Hall of Fame induction adds another chapter to the franchise’s long list of decorated alumni.
Source: LakersNation.com
