The dust has somewhat settled between Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets after 14 years of turmoil. Now that Anthony is enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the two sides have seemingly warmed up to each other — at least more than they have since he was traded away from the organization in 2011.

At least for the weekend, Melo and the Nuggets put their grudges to the side and acknowledged how important they were for one another. The Nuggets gave Anthony a spotlight to blossom into a star and one of the league’s best players, while Anthony brought the Nuggets back to relevance after an eight-year playoff drought.

For a long time, the Anthony and the Nuggets have turned a cold shoulder to one another. Anthony hasn’t made an appearance at a Nuggets game despite showing his face courtside at Madison Square Garden multiple times a season, while the Nuggets gave away his No. 15 jersey to some pudgy second-round pick from Serbia (surely that guy didn’t end up making an impact in the NBA, right?). Despite the sour scenario, reports last week indicated that the Nuggets were going to warm up to Melo at the ceremony, and those held true.

Anthony also made sure to pay respect to the franchise in his speech.

MELO THANKS THE NUGGETS

Anthony’s speech on Saturday night was just shy of 15 minutes. He led off by referencing almost everyone in his inner circle, from his late father to his brothers to the people of Puerto Rico, a nation that he has plenty of ties to through his father. When it was time for him to talk about his time with the Nuggets, he prefaced it with a statement that had a hint of humor.

“I know everyone waiting for this one,” he said. “To the Denver Nuggets and the city of Denver, you believed in me first. You gave me your keys as a 19 year old kid, you let me grow, fall, fly and become the man standing here today. Denver was where I learned the weight of the lead when I learned the value of sacrifice and the beauty of team. To every fan who filled the Pepsi Center, thank you to the Mile High City. You’ll always be a part of my foundation.”

The crowded erupted when he first introduced the Nuggets. Deep down, it seems that there’s still love in there.

NUGGETS PAY IT BACK

The Nuggets took to social media to pay their respects to one of the greatest players in franchise history. From a graphic, to highlights, to an honorary video, there was more Melo content across the board this weekend than there’s been in the past 14 years. It’s not much, but it’s still more than ever.

An icon of the game and now a Naismith Hall of Famer

Congrats Melo 🫡 pic.twitter.com/tpoOA2leXc

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) September 7, 2025

Carmelo Anthony: Now a Hall of Famer pic.twitter.com/qaz6hd3qac

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) September 7, 2025

Dear @carmeloanthony

From, @nuggets #25HoopClass pic.twitter.com/gDTaTQn8DQ

— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) September 6, 2025

Now, if you take a look at the Knicks’ social media pages over the weekend, there’s heaps and bounds of Carmelo content. Again, he will always be remembered first as a New York Knick, and this small aspect of things reflects that.

Will Anthony and the Nuggets ever rebuild their relationship to the point it was at when he was a player here, before all the trade rumors started flying? Time is the best medicine for situations like this, and even though it’s been quite some time, the weekend showed that a rekindled fire is still possible.

Whether you hate him or you don’t, no one can argue with the fact that he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Anthony has the fourth-most points in Nuggets franchise history (13,970), the 12th-most points in NBA/ABA history (28,289), made six All-NBA teams and was a 10-time All-Star. He made the All-Rookie team in 2003, was the NBA scoring champion in 2013 and was nominated to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team back in 2022.

Saturday was a cool moment for Nuggets fans and the greater basketball world. Whenever you have a player that’s enshrined into the Hall of Fame that played for your team, it should be a moment that’s celebrated, at least slightly. The jersey retirement question between Anthony and Jokic is a debate for another time, but nonetheless, the Nuggets have another member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and have somewhat warmed up to their former All-NBA star.