Billboard Women in Music 2025
Former NBA superstar and Olympic gold medalist Carmelo Anthony has been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the esteemed institution’s Class of 2025.
A 10-time NBA All-Star and former league scoring champ, Anthony headlines the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 as its first announced inductee, a distinction emblematic of his looming stature within the sport.
The high school basketball phenom finished his career as a highly-ranked McDonald’s All-American at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia before taking his talents to Syracuse University.
Carmelo Anthony #15 of Syracuse holds up tommorows paper which declares the Orangeman national champs after he and his team defeated Kansas 81-78 during the championship game of the NCAA Men’s Final Four Tournament on April 7, 2003 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Anthony was named the tournaments most outstanding player.
Craig Jones/Getty Images
In his lone collegiate season, Anthony led the Orangemen to their first ever NCAA Basketball championship in program history and was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Selected with the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony was an instant impact player and star, leading the Nuggets to their first playoff appearance in several years in his rookie season.
Anthony would spend eight seasons with the Nuggets, becoming one of the NBA’s premiere players and leading the franchise to the Western Conference Finals in 2008.
Carmelo Anthony #15 of the Denver Nuggets rests in the Game four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Los Angeles Clippers during the NBA Playoffs on April 29, 2006 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Clippers won 100-86.
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
In 2011, Anthony was traded to the New York Knicks as part of a massive three-team deal, bringing the New York native back to his birthplace, where he enjoyed the prime years of his career.
Earning the NBA scoring title in 2013, Anthony helped bring the Knicks back to relevancy and playoff contention, during his several seasons with the club.
After being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, Melo would spend stints with Houston Rockets, the Portland Trail Blazers, before playing his last season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021-2022.
Carmelo Anthony #7 of the New York Knicks reacts in the second half against the Miami Heat in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 6, 2012 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
The 19-year vet announced his retirement from the NBA in 2023, signaling the culmination of one of the more remarkable athletic career’s of the new millenium. Anthony finished his professional career with 28,289 points, placing him at 10th on the league’s all-time scoring list.
A six-time All-NBA selection, the crafty forward also competed in four Olympics, cementing his place among the most decorated Olympians in basketball history.
He earned a bronze medal in the 2004 Games before winning three consecutive gold medals in 2008, 2012, and 2016.
Carmelo Anthony #15 of United States reacts after making a three pointer while taking on Serbia in the Men’s Preliminary Round Group A match on Day 7 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1 on August 12, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
