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Carmelo Anthony

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Carmelo Anthony
Denver Nuggets
PositionSmall forward
Personal information
Born (1984-05-29) May 29, 1984 (age 40)
Brooklyn, New York, New York
NationalityUSA
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight230 lb (100 kg; 16 st)
Career information
CollegeSyracuse University
NBA draft2003: 3rd overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career2003–present
Career highlights and awards
NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2003)

2003-04 NBA All-Rookie Team 2006 FIBA World Championship All-Tournament Team
2006 USA Basketball Men's Athlete of the Year
2005-06 All-NBA Third Team
2006-07 All-NBA Third Team

2007 NBA All-Star
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Carmelo Anthony (born May 29,1984 in the Red Hook Projects of Brooklyn, New York)[1] is an American professional basketball player at the small forward position for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association and the USA National Team.

Early years

His father, after whom Anthony is named, died of cancer when Anthony was two years old.[2] When Anthony turned eight, his family moved to Baltimore, where he honed not only his athletic skills, but his survival skills.[3] Kenny Minor, one of Anthony's childhood friends, said, "from drugs to killings to anything you can name that goes on in the roughest parts of town, we've seen and witnessed hands on. Those are the things that teach you toughness and keep you mentally focused on your goals."[3] Sports would serve as an important diversion from the violence and drug dealing that were pervasive in the housing projects a few blocks from the homes of Anthony and his friends.[3]

High school career

Hes only a freshman but he is very good. He can dunk and he is the shizzit.

College career

Anthony played one season (2002-2003) at Syracuse University. He averaged 22.1 points (16th in the NCAA, 4th in the Big East) and 10.0 rebounds (19th in the NCAA, 3rd in the Big East, 1st among NCAA Division I freshmen). Anthony helped guide the Orangemen to their first ever NCAA tournament title in 2003. He led the team in scoring, rebounding, minutes played (36.4 minutes per game), field goals made and free throws made and attempted. Anthony's 33-point outburst against the University of Texas in the Final Four set an NCAA tournament record for most points by a freshman. In the championship game against the University of Kansas, Anthony had 20 points and 10 rebounds. For his efforts during the NCAA tournament, Anthony earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award. Afterwards, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim described Anthony as, "....by far, the best player in college basketball. It wasn't even close. Nobody was even close to him last year in college basketball. That's the bottom line."[4]

Anthony said that he originally planned to stay at Syracuse for two to three seasons, but having already accomplished everything he set out to do, he chose to abandon his collegiate career (with Boeheim's blessing) and declared himself eligible for the 2003 NBA Draft.[5][6]

Some of Anthony's highlights in his time with Syracuse include being named Second-Team All-American by the Associated Press as a freshman, leading his team to a 30-5 record, capturing the school's first ever NCAA title and being the consensus pick for NCAA Freshman of the Year. He was also named to the All-Big East First Team and was the consensus selection for the Big East Conference Freshman of the Year.

NBA career

Rookie season

Anthony's NBA career began on June 26, 2003, when he was chosen in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft draft by the Denver Nuggets. He was selected behind LeBron James (1st overall, Cleveland Cavaliers) and Darko Miličić (2nd overall, Detroit Pistons). He made his NBA regular season debut on October 29, 2003, in an 80-72 home win against the San Antonio Spurs.[7] Anthony finished the night scoring 12 points, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists. In just his sixth career NBA game (November 7 versus the Los Angeles Clippers), Anthony scored 30 points, becoming the second youngest player in NBA history to score 30 points or more in a game (19 years, 151 days; Kobe Bryant was the youngest).[8] It was the fewest amount of games a Nuggets rookie took to score 30 points in a contest since the ABA/NBA merger. On February 9, 2004, against the Memphis Grizzlies, Anthony became the third-youngest player to reach the 1,000-point plateau in NBA history with a 20-point effort in an 86-83 win.[9]

On February 13, 2004, Anthony participated in the Got Milk? Rookie Challenge at All-Star Weekend. In 30 minutes of playing time, Anthony scored 17 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and dished out 5 assists in a losing effort (142-118). On March 30, 2004, he scored 41 points against the Seattle SuperSonics to set a new Denver Nuggets franchise mark for most points in a game by a rookie.[10] He also became the second-youngest player (19 years, 305 days) to score at least 40 points in a game in NBA history.

After winning the Rookie of the Month award for the Western Conference in the month of April, Anthony became just the fourth player in NBA history to capture all six of the Rookie of the Month awards in a season. The others to do so were David Robinson, Tim Duncan and fellow rookie LeBron James. Anthony was also named NBA Player of the Week twice (March 10-March 14, 2004 and April 6-April 10, 2004) and was a unanimous NBA All-Rookie First Team selection. Anthony averaged 21.0 ppg during the season, which was more than any other rookie. That mark also placed him 12th overall in the entire league. Anthony was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting, finishing as the runner-up to the Cavaliers rookie standout, James.

Anthony was a major part in the turn around of the Denver Nuggets from league laughingstock to playoff contender. In the season before Anthony was drafted by the team, the Nuggets finished with a 17-65 record, which tied them for worst in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They finished the 2003-04 campaign with a 43-39 overall record, qualifying them as the eighth seed for the post-season. Anthony became the first NBA rookie to lead a playoff team in scoring since David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs during the 1989-90 season. The Nuggets faced the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. In Anthony's first career playoff game, he had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, in a 106-92 loss at Minnesota.[11] Anthony and the rest of his team were eliminated by the Timberwolves in five games.

2004-2005 season

In Anthony's second season, he started in 75 of the 82 games for the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 20.8 ppg, which ranked him 19th in the NBA. Anthony placed 16th in the NBA for points per 48 minutes. On December 4, 2004, versus the Miami Heat, Anthony became the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career points.[12] Only James and Bryant were younger when they reached that plateau. Anthony played again in the Got Milk? Rookie Challenge, this time suiting up for the sophomore squad. In front of his home fans of Denver (who were hosting the 2005 All-Star Game), Anthony scored a game-high 31 points to go along with 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals, en route to becoming the MVP of the game.

With Anthony's help, the Nuggets improved their season record by six games from the previous season, ending with a mark of 49-33. The Nuggets finished seventh place in the Western Conference (one spot higher than they finished the previous season). Denver faced the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round, winning the first game in San Antonio, 93-87.[13] However, the Spurs won the next four games, eliminating the Nuggets from the playoffs.

2005-2006 season

Anthony played and started in 80 games during the season. He averaged 26.5 ppg (8th, NBA), 2.7 apg, 4.9 rpg and 1.1 spg. His eighth place finish in NBA scoring was the highest finish by a Denver player since the 1990-91 season, when Nuggets guard Michael Adams finished the season sixth in NBA scoring.

On November 23, 2005, with the Nuggets facing the two-time defending Eastern Conference Champion Detroit Pistons, Anthony hauled down his 1,000th career rebound.

On December 27, 2005, Anthony recorded a career-high 45 points in a losing effort against the Philadelphia 76ers.

On March 17, 2006, versus the Memphis Grizzlies, Anthony scored 33 points to push his career point total over the 5,000 mark.[14] Also, in doing so, he became the second youngest player to accomplish that feat (behind James). As the month of March came to a close, the Nuggets finished 11-5, and Anthony was named as the NBA Player of the Month for March. He also took home Player of the Week honors for March 13-March 19, 2006.

During the season, Anthony made five game-winning shots in the last five seconds: at Houston on January 8, 2006; at home versus Phoenix on January 10, 2006; at Minnesota on February 24, 2006; at Indiana on March 15, 2006; at home versus the Los Angeles Lakers on April 6, 2006. All five of those game-winners were made on jump shots, while the shot against Minnesota was a three-point field goal. Anthony also made a shot in the final seconds to force overtime vs. the Dallas Mavericks on January 6, 2006. He made shots in the final 22 seconds against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 18, 2006, and the Philadelphia 76ers on March 9, 2006, which gave the Nuggets leads they would never lose.

Anthony was named to the All-NBA Third Team for the season, alongside Phoenix' Shawn Marion, Houston's Yao Ming, Philadelphia's Allen Iverson and Washington's Gilbert Arenas.

The Nuggets finished the season in third place, winning the Northwest Division for the first time in Anthony's career. Denver faced the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers held home court advantage in the series, due to ending the regular season with a better record (Denver finished 44-38; Los Angeles finished 47-35). The Clippers won the first two games of the series on their home floor. The Nuggets split their games at home in Denver (winning game three; losing game four). Denver then lost game five at Los Angeles, which eliminated the Nuggets from the playoffs.

Anthony led the Nuggets in the post-season each of his first three seasons. However, the team didn't get past the first round of the playoffs, losing each time to the Timberwolves, Spurs and the Clippers. He appeared in 14 playoff games during that stretch, with averages of 18.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.5 apg and 0.9 spg.

2006-2007 season

In the eighth game of the season (a 117-109 home win against the Toronto Raptors), Anthony tied the franchise record of six-straight 30-point games recorded by Alex English (1982-83 season).[15] He fell short of establishing a new record in his ninth game (a 113-109 home victory over the Chicago Bulls on November 21, 2006), as he finished with 29 points.[16] After the Chicago victory, Anthony again tied the club record of six-straight 30-point games, failing to break it the second time around, as he scored 24 points in his 16th game (a 98-96 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks) on December 6, 2006).[17]

On December 16, 2006, Anthony was one of many players involved in the infamous Knicks-Nuggets brawl during a game at Madison Square Garden.[18] Footage showed Anthony laying a punch on the face of New York's Mardy Collins and then backing up to mid-court. As a result of his actions, Anthony was suspended for 15 games by NBA commissioner David Stern.[19] Shortly thereafter, the Nuggets traded for Allen Iverson in a bid to form a deadly combination with Anthony. The duo didn't get to play alongside one another until a home game against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 22, 2007, which was the day Anthony was allowed to return from his 15-game suspension.[20] Anthony finished the game with 28 points, as he and Iverson combined for 51 points.

When the reserves for the Western Conference All-Star team were announced, Anthony was left off of the roster.[21] However, with Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer out with injuries, NBA commissioner David Stern chose Anthony as a replacement (along with Josh Howard).[22] Anthony scored 20 points with 9 rebounds in his All-Star debut.

On February 2, 2007, Anthony and fellow teammate J.R. Smith, were involved in a minor car accident.[23] Neither player was injured in the collision. The only information released by the team was that the car Smith was driving belonged to Anthony.

On February 5, 2007, Anthony recorded his first ever NBA triple-double, with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, in a 113-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns.[24]

Anthony won Player of the Week honors three times during the season (November 20-November 26, 2006; November 27–December 3, 2006; and February 5-February 11, 2007). Anthony also took home Player of the Month honors for April 2007, after leading the Nuggets to a 10-1 record for the month and into sixth place in the final regular season standings of the Western Conference. Anthony finished the season as the league's second leading scorer behind Bryant, with an average of 28.9 ppg, while adding 6.0 rpg, 3.8 apg and 1.2 spg.

Anthony was named to All-NBA Third Team for the second straight year, along with Miami's Dwyane Wade, Detroit's Chauncy Billups, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett and Orlando's Dwight Howard.

For the second time in three years, Anthony and the sixth-seeded Nuggets faced the third-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. In a virtual repeat of the 2005 first round playoff matchup between the two teams, Denver won the first game in San Antonio, 95-89, only to lose the next four games. The Nuggets were eliminated in the first round for the fourth straight year. In the playoff series against the Spurs, Anthony averaged a team-high 26.8 ppg to go along with 8.6 rpg, 1.2 apg and 1.0 spg.

Controversies

Since entering the NBA, Anthony has been the subject of numerous controversies. In 2004, Anthony was cited for marijuana possession, after inspectors at Denver International Airport found marijuana in his backpack.[25] Charges were later dropped after Anthony’s friend, James Cunningham, of St. Louis, signed an affidavit taking responsibility for the marijuana. In 2006, Anthony’s friend, Tyler Brandon Smith, was pulled over in Anthony’s 2005 Dodge Magnum and cited for marijuana possession and three traffic violations.[26]

In 2004, Anthony appeared in a video entitled, Stop Snitchin', which warned that residents of Baltimore who collaborated with the police would face violence. Anthony later distanced himself from this video.[27]

In 2006, Anthony was involved in the infamous Knicks-Nuggets brawl during a game at Madison Square Garden.[28]

Statistics

SEASON TEAM GP MPG SPG BPG RPG APG PPG Hi 20+ 30+ 40+
'03-04 Denver 82 36.5 1.2 0.5 6.1 2.8 21.0 41 48 10 1
'04-05 Denver 75 34.8 0.9 0.4 5.7 2.6 20.8 36 43 7 0
'05-06 Denver 80 36.8 1.1 0.5 4.9 2.7 26.5 45 67 28 4
'06-07 Denver 65 38.2 1.2 0.4 6.0 3.8 28.9 42 59 34 1
PLAYOFFS TEAM GP MPG SPG BPG RPG APG PPG Hi
'03-04 Denver 4 35.8 1.2 0.0 8.3 2.8 15.0 24
'04-05 Denver 5 36.0 0.6 0.2 5.4 2.0 19.2 28
'05-06 Denver 5 38.6 0.8 0.2 6.6 2.8 21.0 25
'06-07 Denver 5 42.0 1.0 0.0 8.6 1.2 26.8 30

United States National Team

Olympic medal record
Men's Basketball
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens United States
Representing  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Japan USA

Anthony was chosen as a member of the 2004 USA Olympic basketball team that won the bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He averaged 2.4 ppg and 1.6 apg.[29]

Anthony was named co-captain (along with fellow 2003 draftees LeBron James and Dwyane Wade) of Team USA at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. The team won the bronze medal. On August 23, 2006, Anthony set the U.S. scoring record in a game with 35 points against Italy in the said FIBA tournament. The record was previously held by Kenny Anderson with 34 points in 1990.[30] Anthony was named to the FIBA World Championship All-Tournament Team, posting averages of 19.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 1.6 apg.[29]

On January 16, 2006, Anthony was chosen as USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year after his showing at the FIBA World Championship.[29]

Anthony was also a member of Team USA during the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship. The team went undefeated, going 10-0. Anthony ended up as the tournament's second-leading scorer with a 21.2 ppg average (191 points in 9 games), which was behind Leandro Barbosa of Brazil. Anthony also added 5.2 rpg and 1.4 apg. He equalled the previous record of 28 points set by Allen Iverson in a qualifying tournament, which was later broken by James, who scored 31 points in the title-clinching win against Argentina.[31]

Charity work

Off the court, Anthony donates time and money to causes in Denver and Baltimore. In Denver, Anthony is a spokesman for the Family Resource Center and helps organize a Christmas party, entitled "A Very Melo Christmas," for less well-off children. In Baltimore, Anthony hosts an annual 3-on-3 tournament, known as "Melo's H.O.O.D. Movement 3 on 3 Challenge (Holding Our Own Destiny)" and is helping fund the revitalization of a local community center for local youth.[32]

Anthony opened the Carmelo Anthony Youth Development Center in Baltimore on December 14, 2006. He contributed $1.5 million to the Living Classrooms Foundation, a non-profit organization that "provides innovative hands-on-education, job-training and community service programs for over 35,000 children, youth and young adults in the east Baltimore community."[33]

Anthony also committed $3 million toward the construction of a newly-planned basketball practice facility at his alma mater, Syracuse University. According to the NBA's official website, "Anthony's gift represents one of the largest individual donations to Syracuse University Athletics and is also believed to be one of largest by a current professional athlete to the school they attended."[34]

Personal life

Anthony has two brothers (Robert and Wilford), a sister (Michelle) and a half-sister (Daphne).[3] His mother, Mary, is African American, and his father was Puerto Rican.

Anthony got engaged to MTV VJ LaLa Vasquez on Christmas Day, 2004. They have a son, Kiyan Carmelo Anthony, born on March 7, 2007.[35]

Awards and Honors

Trivia

References

  1. ^ Romano, John (2003-04-07). "'Cuse shares in freshman's fun outlook". St. Petersburg Times. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Paese, Gabrielle (2003-04-11). "Island Takes Pride In Carmelo Anthony's Roots, Even Though Syracuse Freshman's Future Lies In The U.S." Puerto Rico Herald. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d Lopez, Aaron (2006-10-29). "Growing up Melo: Choosing an outlet instead of a dead end". Rocky Mountain News. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Coach Boeheim Quotes - Media Day 2003-04".
  5. ^ "New Building will bear NBA star Anthony's name".
  6. ^ "Anthony Says He'll Turn Pro".
  7. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=231029007
  8. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=231107007
  9. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=240209007
  10. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=240330007
  11. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=240418016
  12. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=241204007
  13. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=250424024
  14. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=260317029
  15. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=261118007
  16. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=261121007
  17. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=261206007
  18. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=261216018
  19. ^ AP (2006-12-20). "Suspensions total 47 games from Knicks-Nuggets fight". ESPN. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=270122007
  21. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/allstar2007/news/story?id=2751331
  22. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/allstar2007/news/story?id=2760140
  23. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16948018/
  24. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=270205007
  25. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1906525
  26. ^ AP (2004-10-21). "Friend to claim marijuana was his". ESPN. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ Farrey, Tom (2006-01-18). "'Snitching' controversy goes well beyond 'Melo". ESPN. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ AP (2006-12-17). "Ugly brawl erupts in Nuggets-Knicks game". MSNBC. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ a b c "USA Basketball Bio: Carmelo Anthony".
  30. ^ "Carmelo's 35 help U.S. crawl back vs. Italy, win pool".
  31. ^ "Team USA good to go".
  32. ^ CBS (2006-12-23). "It's 'A Very Melo Christmas' In Baltimore". CBS. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "The Pulse of Entertainment". Baltimore Times. 2007-06-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ "Anthony Presents Donation for Syracuse Basketball Practice Facility". NBA.com. 2006-11-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ People
  36. ^ "'Melo looks past hoops to streets". ESPN. 2006-01-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "Common -- Be". Nike.
  38. ^ http://info.ea.com/news/pr/pr851.pdf

See also

Preceded by NCAA Basketball Tournament
Most Outstanding Player (men's)
2003 		Succeeded by

Template:Persondata

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