Carmelo Anthony To Be Inducted Into 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Former New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony is slated to be inducted in this year’s class of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

A social media post from NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that the successful businessman and future NBA analyst was told that he had recently become a first-ballot NBA Hall of Famer.

“First ballot: Carmelo Anthony has been notified that he’s been elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025, sources tell ESPN. Anthony made 10 All-Star appearances and six All-NBA teams in 19 seasons to go along with three Olympic gold medals for Team USA.”

First ballot: Carmelo Anthony has been notified that he’s been elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025, sources tell ESPN. Anthony made 10 All-Star appearances and six All-NBA teams in 19 seasons to go along with three Olympic gold medals for Team USA. pic.twitter.com/b079xHPqZB

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 2, 2025

Although Carmelo never won an NBA title, he was one of the most respected players in the league. He played for the New York Knicks, the Denver Nuggets, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets, and the Portland Trail Blazers. He ended his career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

During his only season playing in college, he led Syracuse University to its first and only NCAA men’s basketball tournament championship. Upon winning the championship, Carmelo entered the 2003 NBA Draft and was selected at No. 3 in the first round by the Denver Nuggets.

After playing 19 seasons in the NBA, Anthony retired and is now concentrating on a plethora of businesses.

Carmelo was born in New York City, in the Red Hook housing projects of Brooklyn, but his family moved to the Murphy Homes in Baltimore when he was a child. 

Anthony is among the most decorated players in the United States Olympic men’s basketball history. While playing in four separate Olympics, he became the United States Olympic men’s all-time leader in games played and rebounds while ranking second in points. According to Basketball Network, Carmelo won three gold medals during his career. He helped the United States bring home the gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2012 London Olympics, and the 2016 Rio Olympics. His averages in six international tournaments were 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. He also played in the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2006 World Championships in Japan. He set the U.S. Olympic scoring record in 2012, totaling 37 points in a game against Nigeria.

Will he enter the Hall of Fame as a Denver Nugget, where he started his career, or as a New York Knick, where he was lauded for his contributions to the league?