The debate of who’s No. 15 will be hanging into the Ball Arena rafters decades down the road will likely never end until a decision is officially made. Nikola Jokic will obviously have his jersey retired, but will Carmelo Anthony’s name be next to his on the jersey?
Every Nuggets fan knows that Jokic is the best player to ever put on the jersey and that although Anthony’s departure from town was very sour, he was still the reason for a lot of winning in the 2000s and can arguably be on the Nuggets’ Mount Rushmore. There are some fans who want his jersey to be retired for all he did when in the Mile High City, while there are some who can’t look past his departure and want nothing to do with him anymore.
Anthony did make sure to pay tribute to the Nuggets and the city of Denver in his Hall of Fame enshrinement recently, and the Nuggets responded by acknowledging his accolades in what seemed to be both sides slightly warming up to each other. The relationship isn’t rekindled by any means, but those events could be the start of a repaired bond between the two.
For Anthony and Jokic, the tension has never been between them. Jokic just happened to be a second-round pick who was given the number by the organization and then went on to be the highest-value draft pick ever. The two got a chance to talk in a postgame interview on Peacock last week when the Nuggets played the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Nuggets Legend Carmelo Anthony interviewing Nikola Jokić after the game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VbZ4JA1RoA
— Nuggets World 🌎 (@NuggetsWorldd) October 28, 2025
After the interview, Anthony went on his podcast, “7PM in Brooklyn” and talked about how cool of a moment it was in his eyes to represent Denver on that stage.
Melo’s convo with Nikola Jokic on @NBAonNBC shined light on their relationship & Nuggets ties 💯
“I was excited to interview him. Like, I get to represent Denver in a sense too.” pic.twitter.com/FNkAURxhKq
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) November 3, 2025
Anthony emphasized that he has no qualms or issues with Jokic, and that his issues with the organization 16 years ago have nothing to do with his relationship with the three-time MVP.
“I was excited to interview him. I’m like, ‘I get to represent Denver in a sense too,’” Anthony said on the podcast.
He also spoke on how it felt good to talk to Jokic and that he’s in a broadcast position in which him and Jokic can give their respects to each other and clear out all the negative things of the past.
Anthony may not be able to change the opinions that many fans have about him, but his efforts in the past few months have shown that he still believes there’s a strong connection between him and the city of Denver, and he wants to make sure that the connection doesn’t fade away.
