Carmelo Anthony says the end of his tenure with the Houston Rockets made him question whether he wanted to still play in the NBA.
“I felt like the game didn’t want me back at that point in time,” Anthony told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on First Take, referring to a period in which he described himself as being “emotionally vulnerable.”
Now Anthony says he has the passion back to play.
“I’m in the gym every single day,” Anthony said. He also noted that his “silence is not my surrender.”
Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star and six-time All-NBA players last suited up for the Rockets, a 10-game stint that ended early in the 2018 season.
He said he doesn’t blame friend Chris Paul or even two-time former coach Mike D’Antoni, and said he never had a conversation with James Harden about his Rockets exit.
In addition to the Rockets, Anthony has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets with his greatest success coming with the Knicks and Nuggets.
Anthony won the league’s scoring title in the 2012-13 season, averaging 28.3 points per game. That season was the last time the Knicks made the playoffs and began a five-season absence from the postseason for Anthony, who had made the playoffs for 10 straight seasons between his time in Denver and New York.
“I never said anything about a farewell tour,” Anthony said in responding to reports he wants one last season and a Dwyane Wade-like, season-long goodbye around the league.
Anthony is considered a future Hall of Famer whenever he does decide to retire. He is the only 3-time Olympic gold medalist in men’s basketball and won a national championship at Syracuse. In his NBA career, Anthony has averaged 24.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
But retirement doesn’t seem to be on the forefront of Anthony’s mind right now.
“I know I can still play.”