Carmelo Anthony wants to play 20 seasons
20 seasons has become something of a magic number in the NBA fraternity lately, and now Carmelo Anthony wants in on the fun.
Speaking with reporters at shootaround on Wednesday, the New York Knicks forward said that his goal his to play 20 years in the league.
“I would love to get 20 in, I could do 20,” Anthony said, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I could do 20. I’ve done a great job taking care of my body. I’ll continue doing that. No severe injuries. I can see myself going 20.”
Anthony’s comments come one day after Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, who is nearing his own very public goal of playing for 20 seasons, became the sixth player in NBA history to score 30,000 points. The last year has also seen other hardwood greats hover around the mark — Kobe Bryant retired last April after 20 years of his own, while Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett called it quits soon after with 19 and 21 seasons played respectively.
As for Anthony, he’s 32 and in the middle of his 14th NBA season. Six more years seems at least possible given that he’s a jump shot-oriented player with the footwork and the mechanics to shift his game more towards the post as he ages (which he has been doing more often in recent years). While it’s all but guaranteed that the majority of Anthony’s remaining years won’t be coming with the Knicks, perhaps he’ll stick around long enough to join forces with his Banana Boat Brothers and/or win his first NBA championship.
