From Superstar To NBA Outcast: A Timeline of Carmelo Anthony’s Career

In his prime, Carmelo Anthony regularly led his team to the playoffs, once led the league in scoring, and was a certified superstar. But in his 16th year in the NBA, the narrative around Melo has changed. No longer the athlete and impact player he used to be, Anthony might be staring at the end of his career after his most recent stop in Houston didn’t work out. Lack of playing time, an unwillingness to come off the bench, and just not fitting in appears to be the culprit.

"I think everybody knows that I've sacrificed kind of damn near everything," Anthony said following the end of the 2017-18 season. "Family, moving here by myself, sacrificed my game for the sake of the team, and was willing to sacrifice anything and everything in order for this situation to work out. So it's something I really have to think about, if I really want to be this type of player, finish out my career as this type of player, knowing that I have so much left in the tank and I bring so much to the game of basketball."

But it looks like teams in the Association don’t feel the same way about the future Hall of Famer like they used to. Now that his days as a Rocket are over and his time in the league reportedly could be over, how did we get to the point where Anthony might be retiring rather than firing away from 18 feet? Here’s a brief timeline of all the ups and downs Carmelo Anthony’s career.

Brooklyn native Carmelo Kyam Anthony was born on May 29, 1984. His mother is African American and his father was of Puerto Rican, Venezuelan, and African descent. Anthony lost his father to cancer at a very young age, resulting in his mother being his sole provider throughout his childhood. Melo has four older siblings. When Anthony was 8, his older siblings were ready to move out of the house. It was at this point that he and his mother relocated to Baltimore, Maryland. The two of them lived near the city’s dangerous west side, in an area called “The Pharmacy" which inspired HBO’s The Wire.

As a child, Anthony loved basketball. So much so that as a punishment, his mother would tell him he couldn’t play basketball if he had misbehaved at home or school. At the beginning of his youth basketball career, Anthony was a good player who had decent ball-handling skills and a great outside shot. However, his lack of height at the point guard position didn’t propel him to legendary status at that level.

For his first three years of high school, Anthony commuted 45-minutes to school every day to attend Towson Catholic High School. Following being cut from his school’s varsity team his freshman year of high school, Anthony had a very healthy and nicely timed growth spurt sprouting 6 inches--reaching 6’5”.

After his growth spurt, his hard work coupled with his new height and wingspan made him a force to be reckoned with. Once he came into his frame and became more comfortable with his stature and ability, Anthony was one of the best players in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association and the Catholic League. His production on the court his junior year nearly doubled from his sophomore year (14 ppg).

By the end of his junior year, Anthony’s effectiveness on the court made him one of the most sought-after recruits in his class. But a lack of preparation began affecting his performance in the classroom, and ultimately threatened his ability to play at the collegiate level. In hopes of saving his future career, Anthony transferred from Towson Catholic High School to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia to pull up his grades so that he could qualify to compete at the NCAA level.

After completing summer school before enrolling in the Virginia boarding school, Anthony was making positive strides to become eligible to play NCAA basketball. On the court, Anthony was doing exceptionally well and averaged 22 PPG, 7.1 RBG and 3 APG. The point guard turned small forward had to continue doing well in school and score above an 18 on the ACT to become eligible for college basketball. Many college coaches on the east coast were vying for Anthony and tried to sell him the idea of playing at their various schools the following fall. In April, Anthony earned a 19 on the ACT, making him officially eligible to play college basketball.

Anthony knew that his goal of being a professional basketball player was only a stone-throw away. Nearly a month after capturing a national championship, he declared for the NBA Draft and was projected to go in the top five. As expected, Anthony was selected third overall by the Denver Nuggets. The now 6’8” Anthony was heading to the other side of the country to fulfill his dream of being a professional basketball player. His buddy, LeBron James, was the No. 1 overall pick that year.

During the 2006-2007 season, in a regular season game against the New York Knicks, a fight erupted after a rough foul on fellow Denver Nugget player, J.R. Smith. Moments after the foul, a fight ensued between the two teams which led to a combined 47-game suspension for the seven players involved. In the midst of the fighting, Anthony threw a punch unprovoked. Anthony, Smith and the Knicks’ Nate Robinson were of those heavily penalized. Smith and Robinson each received 10-game suspensions while Anthony received a 15-game suspension, the sixth longest in NBA history.

Hey @carmeloanthony your jersey is on it’s way...good luck, fam! pic.twitter.com/Yzh04ZUzSp

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) August 9, 2018

During the summer of 2018, Anthony was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, where he wouldn’t play a game. Anthony “received $25.4 million of his original 2018-2019 salary minus a $2.4 million contract buyout with the Atlanta Hawks.” The Hawks soon waived Anthony, which made him a free agent.

Reports surfaced after Thanksgiving that Melo may have played his last NBA game and most blamed it on the absence of his defense. During his 10-game run with the Houston Rockets, Anthony averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds. Melo has posted his workouts on his social media platforms but NBA teams don’t appear interested. Some think Melo should retire so he doesn’t further tarnish his legacy. Others have suggested he head to China if he really wants to play for pay. Reports say the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers might have some interest. If this is indeed Anthony’s last season in the NBA, it’s a stunning end for one of the league’s most gifted scorers that few saw coming.