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Carmelo Anthony officially announced his retirement Monday, sparking all types of reflection on his career and how he should be remembered. While he was unable to win a title in 19 years, he was still very much a winner and should be a no-brainer first-ballot Hall of Famer.
What isn’t so clear is whether his jersey should be retired and, if so, where.
Anthony will be most remembered for his time split between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks for the first 14 years of his career. But because his time with each was so short and his teams didn’t reach peak success, it’s fair to wonder if either has enough reason to lift his jersey into the rafters.
Further complicating things in Denver is Anthony’s forced exit from the team that drafted him, which soured their relationship. And now, his old No. 15 is donned by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who just helped Denver reach its first NBA Finals in team history. Not only did Jokic pass Anthony as the best player to wear No. 15 for the Nuggets, he’s the best player in franchise history.
So does Anthony actually have a case to get his jersey retired? Absolutely. The Nuggets should simply retire both.
A glance at the six players already retired by the Nuggets shows exactly why Anthony’s jersey should be in the rafters too. He played more games than three of those six players, represented Denver in as many or more All-Star games than five of them, and he’s the franchise’s third all-time leading scorer with the third-most minutes played in Nuggets history.
He joined Denver as part of one of the greatest draft classes in league history, and he gave himself a legitimate shot to win Rookie of the Year over LeBron James. He was also the last player to lead Denver to a conference finals before Jokic.
There’s a reason the Nuggets got such a massive haul in the trade for Anthony, which actually helped lay the foundation for today’s team. They got a 2016 first-round pick swap that was used to selected Jamal Murray.
And there’s precedent for a number being retired twice. In fact, the Nuggets can look to the Knicks for inspiration. New York has the exact number in question, No. 15, retired twice for Earl Monroe and Dick McGuire. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.
Now, the path is actually a little clearer for the Knicks to retire Anthony’s jersey if they so choose, because he wore No. 7 in New York, and that hasn’t been retired yet. But with a richer history than Denver, New York’s bar is a little higher and I’m not sure Anthony reaches it — though they could certainly retire his jersey for the sheer fact that he gave that team the only thing worth rooting for in the two decades prior to this year.
If the Knicks ultimately decline, however, I would understand. If there’s a team that needs to make it happen, it’s the Nuggets.
The Tip-Off
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
Police performed a wellness check on Ja Morant Wednesday and confirmed he was fine after a series of social media posts caused some concern, the Shelby County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.
The check came after Morant posted photos of his family with captions saying “love ya ma,” “love ya pops” and “you da greatest baby girl,” before a final photo of himself that said “bye.”
“Deputies checked on Ja Morant at his residence this morning and he is fine,” Shelby County public information officer John Morris said in an email to USA TODAY Sports. “He advised us that he is taking a break from social media.”
Morant was recently suspended for holding a gun on social media, his second such suspension for a gun-related incident. Hopefully, he’s fine like they say he is and has all the support he needs through what seems to be a tough time.
Shootaround
— Sykes: Heat-Celtics is probably over but let’s root for absolute chaos
— Brandon Miller has lost 18 pounds since the NCAA season ended, but there’s an explanation
— Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez’s attendance at Celtics-Heat had fans worried for Miami
— Did Shaq just blame his crypto legal trouble on Steph Curry while interviewing him?
