Carmelo Anthony was the greatest player to wear No. 15 for the Denver Nuggets until he left town in sour fashion in 2011. The franchise then allowed a pudgy second-round pick in Nikola Jokic to wear that number without knowing what that had in store, as now the debate is whether or not to retire Anthony’s jersey alongside Jokic’s when it’s all said and done.
Jokic didn’t know what was going on when he got to Denver, and knowing the person he is, he surely wasn’t trying to step on anyone’s toes. He just wanted to wear the same number he started with in Europe because it was on the back of the only jersey that fit his large frame at the time.
Paolo Banchero: “What’s the story behind [wearing] #15?”
Nikola Jokic: “I was chubby, I was big, and #15 was the biggest jersey.” 😂😂
(via @OrlandoMagic/ Tiktok) pic.twitter.com/ufKGU7WzY6
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 12, 2023
HoopsHype recently ranked the best players in NBA history by jersey number, and Jokic was awarded the top spot for No. 15. The runner-ups were Anthony, Vince Carter and Hal Greer, who all had good careers wearing the number, but nothing like what Jokic has done.
Jokic became the first player in NBA history to be a top-three performer in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game. He finished third in points (29.6 per game) and rebounds (12.7 per game) and second in assists (10.2 per game) and steals (1.8 per game). No player in NBA history had ever finished in the top 10 of all four categories and Jokic ended the season in the top three. He went toe-to-toe with the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs before losing in seven games and proved that he can compete with anybody no matter who the other four players on the court are surrounding him.
That was just this season, which doesn’t include his three MVPs, championship and Finals MVP. He also has five All-NBA First Team nominations and seven All-Star bids.
Anthony averaged almost 25 points per game when wearing No. 15 in Denver, but was only able to make one deep playoff run with the Nuggets as most of the success came in the regular season.
Carter wore No. 15 for the majority of his career besides a short switch to No. 25 with the Dallas Mavericks. He was a very fun player who had elite scoring traits and flashy dunks, but also didn’t do anything close to what Jokic has done.
Greer was a guard who made 10 consecutive All-Star teams from 1961-1970 with the Syracuse Nationals and the Philadelphia 76ers, but again, he didn’t do anything close to what Jokic has done. He averaged 19.2 points per game in his career.
There’s not really much debate here as to whether or not Jokic is the greatest player to ever wear No. 15, but it’s good to see him get his recognition shortly after he was ranked as the 17th-best player in the history of the league while still having a lot left in the gas tank.
Anthony was tabbed as the best player to ever rock No. 7, beating out Kevin Durant, Pete Maravich and Kyle Lowry. Another instance of his career in New York being appreciated more than his Denver stint.
