NBA legend Carmelo Anthony is all set to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2025.
After an impressive 19-year career, Carmelo Anthony officially retired from the NBA in 2023. It was only a matter of time before Melo was announced to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Looking back at his career, fans saw the best version of Anthony during his stints with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.
However, the biggest stain on his legacy remains his 2017-18 season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, when Melo’s prime essentially ended.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesPaul George once revealed that Billy Donovan had no plan for Carmelo Anthony
During the 2017-18 NBA season, the Thunder put together a Big 3 of Anthony, Russell Westbrook, and Paul George.
On paper, the roster seemed unstoppable, but in reality, OKC struggled throughout the campaign. They also had a capable head coach in Billy Donovan.
But during a 2020 appearance on All the Smoke podcast, George revealed that coach Donovan was the biggest reason behind Anthony’s failure with the Thunder.
“Melo was a real one, and what people don’t understand, Melo sacrificed. Because what happened was… Billy had a plan for me and Russ,” George said.
However, Anthony’s arrival made Donovan clueless as he hadn’t prepared a game plan with three elite stars.
“Billy’s like, ‘I don’t know how to incorporate it. Y’all were my two guys, Melo’s just gonna have to find his way.’ Melo was 100 the whole time.
“His only thing was like, ‘I can be used more though. Don’t just have me be a spot-up player. Y’all can play through me sometimes too,’” PG13 added.
Paul George rejected the LA Lakers to play with Carmelo Anthony
In his sole year with the Thunder, Anthony averaged just 16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. Certainly not phenomenal numbers for a player of Anthony’s caliber.
Speaking of which, George’s decision to reject the Los Angeles Lakers and join the Thunder shows the trust that he had in Anthony.
“I had an opportunity because it was my free agency. I stayed in OKC because Melo came aboard. A real one. I’m like, ‘Man, I’ll sign an extension for Melo to come.’
“At the time, I was looking to go to LA, but it was just like, ‘I mess with Russ. I want to see this all the way through.’ It just sucked that it was short-lived as we only got to play [one season],” George concluded.
To be fair, the Thunder still managed to finish the regular season with a 48-34 record, not sensational, but it was enough to earn a playoff berth.
Unfortunately, due to poor team chemistry, the Thunder faced a first-round exit in the postseason.