After a disappointing 2002-03 season in which the Denver Nuggets finished with a dreadful 17-65 record, the team used the number three overall pick in the draft to select Carmelo Anthony, who was passed on by the Detroit Pistons.
Everyone knew LeBron James was the sure bet as the top pick and despite leading Syracuse to the NCAA title, Melo still went behind Darko Milicic.
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But he didn’t care about being a rookie or younger than most of his teammates. From day one, he wanted to bring his winning mentality to the team.
Andre Miller, on the All The Smoke podcast, recalled those days in Denver.
“Man, it was great, man, just to see his work ethic. We made the playoffs and me and my buddies were just talking on our way over here, like, he came over there and we worked and he led. He didn’t lead with his mouth, he led with his work ethic. Whether you like him or not, you know, he deserved to have that type of ego and attitude because he came in to work. That’s what I enjoyed in that Denver Nuggets team, you know, it was some strong personalities, but we all worked and that’s why I respect him a lot,” Miller concluded.
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Carmelo immediately lifted the Nuggets as a franchise
Ultimately, Melo didn’t lead Denver to the promised land, but when we take into consideration that as a rookie he took a team that had won just 17 games the season before and led them to the playoffs with a 49-33 record, it speaks volumes.
He averaged 21.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals on 42.6 percent shooting.
Still, he didn’t win the Rookie of the Year award.
LeBron claimed the award with averages of 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists on 41.7 percent shooting, despite the Cleveland Cavaliers missing the playoffs at 35-47.
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That only highlights how crucial Carmelo was in immediately lifting the Nuggets as a franchise.
Miller had confirmed in some previous interviews just how much Melo’s presence mattered for him to join the Nuggets.
“The first few years in Cleveland were great for me as a young guy. In the course, I opened my mouth to trade me when they said they wanted to tank the season and draft LeBron,” Miller said on Forgotten Seasons. “My first real opportunity as a real free agent, it came down to Denver and Utah… I saw what Carmelo Anthony did in college. For a freshman to lead this team to a championship, I gotta go play with this dude.”
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Denver was finally relevant after years of drought
Carmelo’s presence alone attracted other players to join Denver, and it culminated in 2009 when the Nuggets made their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 1985. They couldn’t get past the eventual champions Los Angeles Lakers, but Denver was finally relevant after years of drought.
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What remains strange and perhaps an even bigger injustice than him not winning the Rookie of the Year award is that his No. 15 jersey will likely never be retired under his name, all because of what Nikola Jokic has accomplished with the franchise.
That reflects more on the Nuggets as an organization than on Melo’s legacy.
As Miller himself said, Anthony was the key figure in bringing Denver back to relevance and from day one he led by example on the court, something few rookies can claim.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 14, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.