Carmelo Anthony elected to Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025
Former Syracuse forward Carmelo Anthony was selected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame after making 10 All-Star appearances in 19 seasons. Meghan Hendricks | Senior Staff Photographer
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Carmelo Anthony has been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, ESPN reported Wednesday. Anthony, who led Syracuse men’s basketball to its lone NCAA Championship in 2003 and subsequently scored 28,289 points over a 19-year NBA career, is a first-ballot selection.
In arguably the greatest one-and-done collegiate season of all time, an 18-year-old Anthony spearheaded the Orange’s magical title run 22 years ago. He averaged 22.2 points and 10 rebounds per game in 2003, becoming a consensus All-American and earning All-Big East honors while carrying SU to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Anthony then took over March Madness. Behind the forward’s double-digit points in each contest, Syracuse carved out a spot in the Final Four. Anthony unleashed for 33 points in SU’s national semifinal win over Texas, and then sealed the Orange’s banner-raising season by tallying 20 points in their 81-78 National Championship victory over Kansas on April 7, 2003.
“I’ve never had a feeling like this,” Anthony said after winning the NCAA Championship. “This is the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life.”
Anthony captured the 2003 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award, cementing his legacy at Syracuse. The university retired his No. 15 jersey in 2013.
He got picked No. 3 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets after declaring early. Today, he’s hailed as one of the purest scorers in NBA history.
In his career from 2003 to 2022, Anthony was a 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection. He averaged 22.5 points per game in 1,260 career appearances, currently ranking 10th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He was a member of the 2003-04 All-Rookie Team and earned a place on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Anthony spent his first seven full seasons in Denver before being traded to the New York Knicks during the 2010-11 season. With the Knicks, he made six straight NBA All-Star Games from 2011-17, becoming one of the league’s top players. Anthony exploded for 28.7 points per game in the 2012-13 campaign, finishing as the league’s scoring champion.
His final five years were spent bouncing around the NBA. Anthony had brief stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Though he never received an NBA Finals ring across his legendary career, Anthony retired from basketball as a three-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA Basketball.
The news of Anthony’s impending Hall of Fame induction comes a day after Syracuse University announced he’d deliver SU’s 2025 commencement address to its graduating seniors. Anthony said in a release that it will be a “full-circle moment” for him this May.
Anthony’s imprint at SU is set to continue well into the future. His son, Kiyan Anthony, is committed to Syracuse’s 2025 recruiting class. Kiyan is the No. 36 overall recruit in the 2025 class, per 247Sports.
