Carmelo Anthony was one of the few superstars in the last 20 years to play for the New York Knicks during his prime. He never won a championship with the team, but he made a significant impact on the city and its fans.
According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv, there is support among Madison Square Garden executives—the Knicks’ owners—to retire Anthony’s number. 7 shirt for his impact on the establishment and his foundation work with the local area.
Knicks to retire the jersey of Carmelo Anthony?
“What I know: before Anthony’s announcement, there was strong support among some in Madison Square Garden to retire the number. No decision has been made yet. The final decision, I’d assume, will be made by team governor James Dolan,” Begley said.
Anthony spent six seasons in New York, leading them to three playoff appearances. Unfortunately, he only made it to one second round with the squad, with no major playoff success to his name. During his stint in New York, he averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 412 games.
The New York Knicks are the only team that is expected to retire Anthony’s number after the Denver Nuggets handed it to a second-round pick rather than honoring its legacy. That worked out well for Denver, as the second-round pick was Nikola Jokic, who will almost certainly have his number retired after becoming probably the greatest Nugget of all time.
Patrick Ewing was one of just two names retired by the Knicks without winning a championship. Otherwise, there are many outstanding Knicks players from their title-contending heyday in the 1990s who deserve to be honoured if Anthony is. Allan Houston and John Starks are obvious contenders, but there are others, like Richie Guerin, who deserve the honor based on the team’s entire history. Even Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson can equal Anthony’s on-court achievements, so New York must tread carefully with this decision because of the precedent it creates.
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