Basketball legend Carmelo Anthony has a message for the world’s best young players that he’s delivering on behalf of the NBL.
The retired NBA and Team USA forward is an ambassador for the NBL’s Next Stars program, which has sent the likes of LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey and Alex Sarr to the NBA as top-10 draft picks.
NBA legend Carmelo Anthony.Credit: Eddie Jim
Anthony will join the NBL’s team ownership ranks when it expands in coming years, but for now he’s excited about trying to convince more future NBA stars to develop their games Down Under.
“I’m working. I can’t go into no details, but I’m working,” Anthony said with a smile.
Anthony spoke with this masthead after completing some speaking engagements and fan events in Melbourne, delivering a strong message about Australia’s value as a breeding ground for future basketball stars.
“For me, it is about going after guys who are very intentional about their career and what they want to do,” Anthony said.
“How serious are you? To come to the other part of the world where it is new, it’s foreign and nobody really knows who you are.
“You’re over here, damn near by yourself, and we are talking about guys 18, 19 years old, leaving their parents’ house – so it’s a big sell to anybody.
“[They] can be in Australia in a beautiful city and (with) a beautiful beach, get the development and the right training, and play against professionals who might not be NBA professionals, but still professional.
“If guys have an opportunity to experience that, and are very intentional about what you want to do, then I think this is the right place for you.”
Perth forward Izan Alamansa, who hails from Spain, looks like the pick of the NBL Next Stars this season, but South East Melbourne’s Malique Lewis has shown some promise with his athleticism around the rim.
In a wide-ranging interview, Anthony (a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, or the top 75 players in competition history) also spoke about Giddey’s future; the cold, hard reality of being traded with no warning; the legacies of Stephen Curry and LeBron James; and, the NBA’s notorious dress code for its players.
Giddey ‘deserves to start’
Anthony said it was unfortunate Australian star Josh Giddey had to depart the Oklahoma City Thunder just as they became title contenders.
“It was sad to see Giddey leave OKC because I know the team that they are building over there and the energy and the role he had (on it),” Anthony said.
Australia’s Josh Giddey drives to the basket at Paris 2024.Credit: Getty Images
“But I believe him in Chicago will be a good fit – they have a good, young team, (and) they just lost (six-time NBA All-Star) DeMar DeRozan, so they are trying to rebuild and get some younger energy, so that’s the right situation for him.
“Go start, you know what I mean? You deserve to start, you deserve to be the starting point guard on a team, not come off the bench.”
Boomers Josh Green (to Charlotte) and Dyson Daniels (to Atlanta) were among the many NBA players traded this off-season, and Anthony said he hates that teams can move players without warning.
Josh Green dives for a loose ball last NBA season.Credit: Getty Images
Green, who helped the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA finals, was one such player who had little inkling he would be moved.
“It’s the dark side of the game that I never agree with,” Anthony said.
“I hate that part of the game; that somebody can trade you without you even being aware of that.
“They don’t do that in no other industry but basketball and sports. That’s one of the parts that I disagree with.”
Anthony would like more care shown to players who are traded.
“I’m just saying that there is a level of respect that’s missing when it comes to sports, that’s my only thing,” Anthony said.
“Let’s care a little bit more about families, about situations and individuals – let’s not take the soul and emotion part out of it.”
Why we will appreciate Steph Curry, LeBron James when they are gone
New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) in 2016.Credit: JULIE JACOBSON, AP
Anthony is no longer the face of an NBA franchise, just a face in the crowd, and he couldn’t be happier.
From his unforgettable college championship with Syracuse in 2002-2003 to a 20-season NBA career, plus three Olympic gold medals, the 10-time All-Star has a legacy that sits comfortably among the greats.
Yet, he always seemed to be carrying a weight on his shoulders – first as the prodigy who was meant to drag the Denver Nuggets from the doldrums to a title, then to being the established franchise player of the New York Knicks who, still, can’t quite find their way back to the top of the NBA.
But Anthony, now 40, had an air of ease when he sat down with this masthead during his Australian tour, which included an “evening with Carmelo” event.
“I did it for 20 years at the highest level, and I couldn’t be a fan of people (other players),” Anthony said.
“At this point, what’s done is done. I always had an appreciation of the game, I think what people are seeing now is a real, true, genuine, authentic appreciation of the game.”
Anthony was courtside at Paris 2024 as LeBron James and Stephen Curry led Team USA to gold.
But one thing he doesn’t want to be is an “old hag” who criticises younger players, even if the USA start losing games once James and Curry retire.
“It’s inevitable that iron sharpens iron – as the rest of the world is getting better, the American players, the NBA, is going to get better and better,” Anthony said.
LeBron James and Steph Curry teaming up for the USA at the Olympics.Credit: Getty Images
“It’s going to be very competitive. We are not appreciating what we’ve seen from this batch of players that is about to retire and move on into their life.
“We will appreciate those guys when this younger group is in position, and now we have to cheer for them and try to toe the line on what we can say, what we can’t say without being like the old hag out there.”
The NBA’s notorious dress code
Anthony has always been a player whose sense of style turned heads but it wasn’t always well-received.
NBA legend Carmelo Anthony.Credit: Eddie Jim
In 2005, Anthony and Allen Iverson were among the stars targeted by NBA commissioner David Stern’s dress code, which banned jerseys, baggy jeans, excessive jewellery and sunglasses indoors (among other items) and ordered players to dress in business casual attire to games and wear suits on team benches.
“It was hard, especially when you become one of the so-called reasons why this dress code was implemented,” Anthony recalled.
“It’s like, man, I’m 21, 22 years old, I get it, but I don’t know about wearing a suit.
“Nobody told me about how to wear a suit at 20 years old – I don’t know what that means, right?
Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James speak at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles in 2016.Credit: AP
“So don’t come in, lay the iron fist down and say this is happening. Explain to us what’s going on.
“It was for the better, the betterment of the game and the look; the aesthetics of the NBA. It worked at that time.
“Now if you look 20-something years later, it’s a runway (at games).”
So what would happen if current NBA commissioner Adam Silver made such a ruling today?
“Adam … his resignation would be coming soon after,” Anthony said with a laugh.
Melo loves “neutral territory”
Following Anthony’s “night with” event in Melbourne, a fan tweeted a message to him thanking him for dapping (giving a high five) to his son as he walked onto the stage.
“I don’t think twice about it. It’s just who I am, especially if they are there for me. I’m going to show you love,” Anthony said.
“Before, you are walking through as a player, you don’t know who is cheering against you, you are getting yelled out, getting booed, all type of things. The fact that I can be on neutral territory, just be a man. That means a lot more.”
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