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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Carmelo Anthony is the face of Syracuse University. There are no other former SU athletes, or alumni in general, who you can find on prominent podcast platforms, cable television giants, legal marijuana canisters and Jordan Brand sneakers.

What keeps Anthony so active in so many avenues?

“The cannabis,” joked a laughing Anthony, who launched his own line of marijuana products, StayMe7o, in April.

It’s clear the 2003 NCAA champion is plenty relaxed and satisfied with his journey before reaching his final big milestone on Saturday: joining basketball immortality.

On the evening of Sept. 6 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Anthony’s legacy will be forever enshrined inside the sport’s cathedral of excellence.

The celebration not only cements Anthony’s influence on the game of basketball, but establishes him as the most accomplished athlete to ever come from SU.

That’s right: “Melo” is the G.O.A.T. of Syracuse sports until further notice. No alum in the school’s 155-year history has ever been more impactful in such a vast array of spaces while being so dominant in the space they specialize in. The combination of both factors makes Anthony stand alone among all other SU Athletics alumni, serving as the university’s top role model — whose influence will extend for generations.

“I try to do a great job building this step by step,” Anthony said of his personal brand. “I didn’t try to retire and be done with the game and then try to make this happen over night. What you’re seeing now is what we’ve been planting the seeds for years ago.”

Before I keep singing Anthony’s praises, Dave Bing and Jim Brown must be addressed.

Bing, an SU men’s basketball alumnus, is both a Basketball Hall of Famer and an inspiring figure for his nonprofit work and service as the Mayor of Detroit from 2009-14. Brown is hailed as one of the best football players of all-time and was a prominent civil rights activist throughout his adulthood before dying at 87 in 2023. Following Brown’s playing career, allegations of domestic violence and rape marred his public perception.

What sets Anthony apart from them is his undeniable cultural impact. “Melo” is everywhere in our modern-day society. There has never been a more recognizable athlete from Syracuse University.

Much of that is because of Anthony’s renowned playing career. The Baltimore native — who was “one of the best high school players” fellow Hall of Famer Chris Bosh has ever seen — committed to SU’s 2002 recruiting class. In one season, he carried the Orange to their lone National Championship win.

Anthony earned the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award before getting drafted third overall in the 2003 NBA Draft to the Denver Nuggets. A 19-year NBA career followed, where he became a 10-time All-Star and won the 2012-13 league scoring title during his seven-year stint playing for the New York Knicks.

Anthony displayed one of basketball’s most revolutionary playstyles. He’s one of the first power forwards who could score at will and play elite defense.

Imagine a player who ranks 10th on the all-time NBA scoring list (28,289 points) and could also make a 6-foot-11 Hall of Fame forward in Bosh quiver at the prospect of batting against them on a rebound. You don’t have to imagine: that was Melo.

“He was really the first guy at that height (6-foot-8) that I saw do everything,” Bosh said. “He could play defense, he could block shots, he could shoot 3s and brought so much physicality to his game.”

That electric style of play is why Syracuse fans fell in love with Anthony. For a city that prides itself on basketball, Anthony — Jim Boeheim’s only disciple to successfully steer his program to a national title — is rightfully seated on the king’s throne. His No. 15 jersey is synonymous with SU Athletics events, remaining the customary uniform for a typical young Syracuse fan.

What makes it all the more impressive? No SU athlete has done more in less time.

Anthony established the one-and-done precedent that we see every year in college basketball. He spent one season in college and immediately bolted for the NBA Draft, a trend he didn’t start, but popularized into what it is now.

“It was unheard of,” Hakim Warrick, Anthony’s top teammate in 2003, said of his lone year with the Orange. “Coming in and being a freshman and putting up numbers is cool. But to put up numbers and win the way we did that, that’s just something that wasn’t done before.”

Anthony’s name has only grown more recognizable around Syracuse since leaving Syracuse. Outside of former President Joe Biden, a former SU School of Law student, Anthony is the most active SU alum in today’s society.

He’s starting a career as an in-studio NBA analyst for NBC this season. His cannabis line is sold in all legal dispensaries across New York state. He continues to refine certain elements of basketball culture, like re-popularizing wearing a headband and his viral videos of performing shootarounds in a hoodie. Jordan continues selling his Melo signature shoes. He hosts an insightful lifestyle podcast called “7PM in Brooklyn” with The Kid Mero. Heck, he’s even raised a son — Kiyan Anthony — who arrived at SU this fall to carry on the family name’s legacy within the basketball program.

And now, he’s about to be a Basketball Hall of Famer.

Anthony’s 2025 Hall of Fame class counterparts lauded his notoriety the day before the ceremony. Three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard was awestruck speaking about him.

“You got the hoodie Melo, you got the headband Melo, you got the Denver Melo, you got the New York Melo,” Howard said on Friday. “So his legacy is incredible.”

Whenever another SU athlete has a nickname that develops into an interchangeable noun, then discussions can restart about who the school’s most accomplished athlete really is. For now, Carmelo Anthony stands alone.

Cooper Andrews is a Senior Staff Writer at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at ccandrew@syr.edu or on X @cooper_andrews.

Published on September 6, 2025 at 9:38 am
Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews