Carmelo Anthony Officially Announces Retirement from NBA

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

It’s the end of an era for Carmelo Anthony…

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player, the star forward who led Syracuse to an NCAA championship in his lone college season and went on to spend 19 years in the NBA, has announced his retirement.

Anthony, who was not in the NBA this season, retires as the No. 9 scorer in league history.

Only LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O’Neal scored more than Anthony, who finishes his career with 28,289 points.

“Now the time has come for me to say goodbye … to the game that gave me purpose and pride,” Anthony said in a videotaped message announcing his decision — one he called “bittersweet.”

Anthony’s legacy has long been secure: He ends his playing days after being selected as one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history, a 10-time NBA All-Star, a past scoring champion and a six-time All-NBA selection.

And while he never got to the NBA Finals — he only played in the conference finals once, with Denver against the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 — Anthony also knew what it was like to be a champion.

He was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2003 Final Four when he led Syracuse to the national championship, and he helped the U.S. win Olympic gold three times — at Beijing in 2008, at London in 2012 and at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

His college coach at Syracuse, the now-retired Jim Boeheim, tweeted a “welcome to retirement” message to his former star.

“I am honored to have been a part of your legendary career, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for you,” Boeheim wrote.

Anthony played in 31 games in four appearances at the Olympics, the most of any U.S. men’s player ever. Anthony’s 37 points against Nigeria in the 2012 games is a USA Basketball men’s record at an Olympics, as are his 10 3-pointers from that game and his 13-for-13 effort from the foul line against Argentina in 2008.

“Carmelo Anthony is one of the NBA’s all-time great players and ambassadors,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “We congratulate him on a remarkable 19-year career and look forward to seeing him in the Hall of Fame.”

Anthony will remain part of international basketball for at least a few more months; Anthony is one of the ambassadors to the Basketball World Cup, FIBA‘s biggest event, which will be held this summer in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

“I remember the days when I had nothing, just a ball on the court and a dream of something more,” Anthony said. “But basketball was my outlet. My purpose was strong, my communities, the cities I represented with pride and the fans that supported me along the way. I am forever grateful for those people and places because they made me Carmelo Anthony.”

Anthony was drafted No. 3 overall by Denver in 2003, part of the star-studded class that included James at No. 1, Hall of Famer Chris Bosh at No. 4 and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade — he gets officially enshrined this summer — at No. 5.

Anthony will join them at the Hall of Fame before long — the Hall of Fame said he will be eligible for the 2026 class. He averaged 22.5 points in his 19 seasons, spending the bulk of those years with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks. Anthony has long raved about his time with the Knicks, and what it was like playing at Madison Square Garden, especially as a kid who was born in Brooklyn.

He was the NBA’s leading scorer with 28.7 points per game in 2012-13, when the Knicks won 54 games and the Atlantic Division title.

“The Garden,” Anthony said in 2014. “They call it The Mecca for a reason.”

Anthony spent his first 7½ NBA seasons in Denver, becoming the third-leading scorer in franchise history. His Nuggets teams had seven consecutive winning seasons and earned seven playoff berths, but they advanced in the postseason just once, ending in that six-game conference finals loss to the Lakers in 2009.

“He wore that Nuggets jersey with pride and did a lot of great things while in a Denver Nuggets uniform, as well as all the other uniforms he wore in an illustrious career,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Monday before Denver faced the Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, hoping to clinch the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance. “When you think of Carmelo, you think of one of the more elite scorers in NBA history, a guy that from the D.C. metro area goes to Syracuse and wins a championship and comes into the NBA and was just a bucket-getter from day one.”

Anthony also played for Portland, Oklahoma City, Houston and ended his career with the Lakers last season. He went unsigned this year, and now his retirement is official.

He said in his retirement address that he’s looking forward to watching the development of his son Kiyan, a highly rated high school shooting guard.

“People ask what I believe my legacy is,” Anthony said. “It’s not my feats on the court that come to mind, all the awards or praise. Because my story has always been more than basketball. My legacy, my son … I will forever continue through you. The time has come for you to carry this torch.”

Carmelo Anthony’s ‘Creative 7’ to Produce Four-Part Docuseries “Seven” About the NBA All-Star

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Carmelo Anthony’s life is headed to the small screen…

The 38-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player has teamed up with Westbrook Studios and Falkon Entertainment on Seven, a four-part docuseries, which Anthony’s company Creative 7 will also produce.

Named after Anthony’s signature jersey, Seven will chronicle the life and career of the 10-time NBA All-Star and entrepreneur, starting with his childhood, diving into the good, the bad, and sometimes ugly experiences and learnings that shaped him into the man and the athlete that he is today.

Seven promises to reveal the truth behind notable moments throughout Anthony’s career, many of which he has never spoken about publicly before. The series will also take an introspective look at his life and who he is today — at practice, after games, with his family — through the lens of what it means to be an athlete, a celebrity, and most importantly, a human being.

Anthony and his long-time business partner Asani Swann will executive produce the project via their Creative 7 production company alongside Terence Carter and Sahara Bushue for Westbrook Studios, and Dexton Deboree and Wondwossen Dikran on behalf of Falkon Entertainment.

“The biggest question everyone is probably thinking is – why now? Why choose this moment to tell my story? The short of it is I’ve spent enough time letting other people speak for me. It’s time for my truth,” said Anthony. “I look forward to viewers finally having the opportunity to hear about my journey in my own words. Westbrook Studios, Falkon Entertainment and my team at Creative 7 have been immensely supportive of my vision for this project and I am proud that we have been able to make this series a reality.”

Anthony’s career highlights to date include him being a three-time Olympic gold medalist, ninth on the NBA all-time scorer list and one of the NBA’s top 75 players in history. He has played for the Denver Nuggets, New York Nicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and, most recently the Los Angeles Lakers.

Off the court, Anthony has been focused on his other brands, business ventures, and philanthropic efforts and he also has been a leading voice in the ongoing fight for social justice.

Carmelo Anthony Moves Into Top 10 on NBA All-Time Scoring List

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Carmelo Anthony is movin’ on up…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, has moved into the top 10 all time in NBA scoring, passing Elvin Hayes.

With 11:09 left in the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, Anthony isolated on the right wing and pulled up from 3, plus the foul. After his trademark move of hitting the side of his head with three fingers, Anthony raised both arms in the air as a quick acknowledgement of the accomplishment.

It was his third 3 of the first half, giving him 12 points. Anthony entered Monday’s game against the Hawks nine points behind Hayes’ career total of 27,313.

He finished the night with 14 points overall — and 27,318 for his career — as Portland fell to Atlanta, 123-114.

“I think after it’s done, whenever it happens, I think I’ll be more in awe of it,” Anthony told ESPN by phone last week. “This is something I never, ever thought about. When you’re young you look up at that list and you’re like, ‘Damn, so-and-so has that many points? I’ll never be able to do that.’ I’m more just in awe of it.”

Moses Malone is next up on the all-time list at 27,409, a reachable number this season if Anthony maintains his current scoring pace.

Anthony’s journey to the top 10 comes with context, with him away from the NBA for a season after being cut by the Houston Rockets after just 10 games early in the 2018-19 season. Anthony continued working out and signed with the Trail Blazers in November 2019, starting all 58 games last season. He agreed to a bench role this season with Portland and entered Monday averaging 13.6 points as a sixth man.

A 10-time NBA All-Star, Anthony is in his 18th NBA season. He won the scoring title with the New York Knicks in 2012-13, averaging 28.7 points. Anthony spent 10 consecutive seasons in the top 10 in scoring and finished as a runner-up for the scoring title twice in that stretch.

Anthony’s point distribution is 13,970 in eight seasons with the Denver Nuggets, 10,186 in seven seasons with the Knicks, 1,261 in one season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, 134 with the Rockets and now 1,754 in two seasons with the Blazers.

This season, Anthony has moved past Tim Duncan, Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson and Hakeem Olajuwon in scoring.

Duki Teams Up with NBA Latam for Special Docuseries “NBA Freestyle”

Posted on April 10, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Duki is taking his love of basketball to the next level…

The 24-year-old Argentine Latin trap star, whose real name is Mauro Ezequiel Lombardo, has teamed up with with NBA Latam for a 10-part series that captures not only his love for freestyle, but also sports.

The series, which launched with its first episode this week, is part of the NBA’s commitment to offer local productions in Latin America. New episodes will launch on the NBA Latam YouTube channel every Wednesday.

During the 10 episodes, Duki will tell his relationship with basketball and the NBA from when he was a child to this day through an exclusive interview, reactions to the best players in the league and even singing a series of themed freestyles.

“I remember the first NBA game I ever watched,” he recalled. “I was home with my brother in Santa Teresita and the All-Star Game happened to be on at 2 o’clock in the morning. I was crazy about it… I remember Allen Iverson’s braids in that game. I’ve been a fan ever since.”

The series includes an exclusive song that will only be available on the NBA Latam YouTube channel. For the making of the video, Duki wears the shirt of one of his favorite players today: the Argentine, Facundo Campazzo of the Denver Nuggets.

“I had first spoken to Facu and he answered me. In a cross of words and jokes. He already knew who I was. I really want to do a song for him, with him by my side, a good heavy trap”

The series also includes unique video content highlighting the intersection of basketball, entertainment and lifestyle.

Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez Add Sports Star Power in Bid to Purchase the New York Mets

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez aren’t giving up their Mets quest…

The 50-year-old Puerto Rican superstar and the 44-year-old Dominican American former-baseball-player-turned-sports-commentator aren’t giving up on their bid to purchase the New York Mets from the Wilpon family.

After the pair reportedly teamed up with billionaire Mike Repole in an ownership group, they’ve now added a group of investors that includes some other big names.

Per ESPN, Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, 2020 Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce, ex-NFL star DeMarco Murray, former Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas,Washington Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal and Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee are all joining the celebrity couple’s bid.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have such high-quality individuals as part of our group,” Lopez and Rodriguez told ESPN on Monday.

The Wilpons have been looking to sell the Mets for months now, but a deal hasn’t been reached despite some interest.

The Wilpons originally had an agreement in place to sell the team to hedge fund investor and billionaire Steve Cohenwhile remaining in control of the club for another five years, but that deal fell apart.

Recently, it was reported that Cohen delivered the family an offer for $2 billion, and was willing to offer an additional $2 billion to also acquire SportsNet New York (SNY). The Wilpons have reportedly been reluctant to give up SNY. However, it now appears the television network would now be included in a potential sale, indicating the Wilpons are more serious about a deal.

The group headed by Lopez and Rodriguez reportedly submitted an initial bid of $1.7 billion. The former New York Yankees slugger and Bronx-born pop star have reportedly put $300 million of their own money toward the bid.

The Wilpons will review all of the bids, and work with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to determine the next steps in the process. Whoever does end up taking home the Queens-based franchise will need to their purchase to be approved by 75 percent of MLB owners.

The Wilpons reportedly hope to close a deal by the fall and gain Major League Baseball approval for the new owners before the end of the year.

Barea Agrees to Four-Year, $16 Million Deal with the Dallas Mavericks

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

J.J. Barea has landed a Maverick deal…

The 31-year-old Puerto Rican professional basketball player has signed a four-year, $16 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.

Barea had originally agreed to sign a two-year, $5.7 million deal, which would have given him Dallas’ cap-room exception, but both sides negotiated a new deal after center DeAndre Jordan backed out of his commitment to sign a max contract with the Mavs.

“They knew I wanted to be there for a long time,” Barea told ESPN.com. “They wanted me there for a long time, so we made it happen.”

Barea, who has averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 assists during his nine-year career,

Was a key contributor to the Mavericks’ 2010-11 championship team. He returned to Dallas in the fall after being bought out from the Minnesota Timberwolves for the final season of his four-year, $18 million deal.

He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Mavs after breaking into the league as an undrafted free agent, was an effective fourth guard in his second Dallas stint. He averaged 7.5 points and 3.4 assists in 17.7 minutes per game last season. His assist-turnover ratio (3.78-1) ranked behind only the Los Angeles Clippers‘ Chris Paul and the Denver Nuggets‘ Ty Lawson among league leaders.

Telo’s International Hit “Ai Se Eu Te Pego” Tops Billboard Latin Charts

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It may have been released more than four months ago, but Michel Teló’s international hit “Ai Se Eu Te Pego” has finally catapulted its way to the top of the Billboard charts.

The 31-year-old Brazilian country singer and songwriter’s song, which has reached No. 1 in 15 countries across Europe, Eastern Europe and Latin America since its release last November, has reached the peak on the Billboard Latin Songs chart and the Billboard Latin Pop Songs chart.

The single—which has been covered by Pitbull, praised by Perez Hilton and danced to by soccer stars like Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring goals has a catchy repetitive chorus, accordion hook and lyrics about a guy trying to seduce a girl.

The song was officially written in 2008 by Sharin Acioly, who first heard the phrase from a group of girls in Port Seguro who were singing and dancing to a song they’d come up with as a joke.

Teló heard the song in Salvador during a forro concert last year and decided he wanted to perform the song to a Sertanejo (Brazilian country music) rhythm. So he reached out to Acioly and they worked out a deal.

In no time, the soccer community helped bring “Ai Se Eu Te Pego” to millions around the globe. Teló has publicly thanked soccer star Neymar who plays for Brazil’s Santos club for popularizing the song with choreography he created in the team locker room.

Ronaldo and his teammate Marcelo followed in Neymar’s footsteps by celebrating goals by dancing to the song. Later a video was released of AC Milan‘s Robinho, Thiago Silva and Pato performing the choreography on a bus and suddenly the song was a global phenomenon.

“Ai Se Eu Te Pego” even made its way to the NBA thanks to Rudy Fernandez and a video of him and his Denver Nuggets teammates dancing to the track.

The official music video has been viewed more than 280 million times on YouTube, and has been translated and subtitled in multiple languages including English, Polish and Italian. And, Telo’s record label, Som Livre, estimates that the single has been downloaded two million times around the world.

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