Carmelo Anthony says notable NBA team reached out to him before his retirement
Apr 8, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony (7) warms up before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Carmelo Anthony almost got the chance for a final act in The Big Easy.
The 10-time All-Star Anthony is launching a new podcast entitled “7 PM in Brooklyn” with The Kid Mero (of “Desus and Mero” fame). In a preview clip this week for their debut episode, Anthony made an interesting revelation. He said that the New Orleans Pelicans inquired about his availability before he officially decided to retire over the offseason. Anthony also said that he got some interest from China.
Here is the full clip.
Carmelo x Barmelo
Dropping Thursday. pic.twitter.com/6HpowtijwE
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) December 5, 2023
The Pelicans seemed to confirm as much in a post to their X page Tuesday. Having wished Anthony well upon his retirement announcement in May, they circled back to the post and cheekily wrote, “Lemme delete this.”
Lemme delete this https://t.co/2waAYroCIf
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 5, 2023
Anthony, 39, announced his retirement after 19 career seasons in the NBA. He went unsigned for the entire 2022-23 campaign and last averaged 13.3 points and 4.2 rebounds a game as a reserve for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021-22.
It is unclear if the Pelicans contacted Anthony in the middle of last season or in the hopes of bringing him on for this season. But he might not have been a bad option for them with the constant uncertainty over Zion Williamson’s availability and the glut of injuries that plagued them over the last several months. Anthony was also previously teammates in Portland with New Orleans star CJ McCollum.
The Pelicans have done well for themselves even without Anthony, sitting at a respectable 12-10 this season and just clinching a berth in the In-Season Tournament semifinal with a knockout-stage victory over the Sacramento Kings. Maybe they can just try to get Anthony’s son, who isn’t that far off from the NBA himself, at some point instead.
