Carmelo Anthony Goes Off After Being Booed by Nuggets Fans

Melo spent more than seven years with Denver to start his career.

Former Syracuse star Carmelo Anthony was booed by Nuggets fans in the first game of the NBA Playoff series between Denver and the Portland Trail Blazers. Anthony seemed to be caught off guard by the response from fans, but it ignited a response. Anthony went off for 12 points in just five minutes on 4-5 shooting including 3-3 from beyond the arc. Anthony would then hit his fourth straight triple early in the second quarter. He finished with 18 points as the Blazers won 123-109.

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"What else can they do?" Anthony said after the game, via USA TODAY Sports. "I don't know what it is. I gave my all here for seven and a half years. I've never said anything bad about Denver, about the fans, the organization, players. I never complained. I took everything on the chin even when it wasn't my fault." 

Anthony was drafted by the Nuggets with the third overall selection in 2003, and spent the first seven years of his NBA career with the franchise. He brought excitement, energy and relevancy back to the franchise, leading the Nuggets to playoff appearances in each of his seven full years there including a Western Conference Finals appearance. 

After he informed the franchise he did not intend to re-sign, the Nuggets traded Anthony to the New York Knicks in the middle of the 2010-11 season. While Nuggets fans may be upset about his departure, the decision to boo Melo for simply touching the ball seems odd. It has been a decade since the trade, he brought the Nuggets back to relevancy within the league, and has not made any disparaging comments about the fans. 

In fact, in the week leading up to the series, Melo stated his time with the Nuggets will always be special to him. Melo has played in Denver during the regular season for various teams, and the response was not similar to what occurred Saturday night. 

It backfired on Nuggets fans, however, as Anthony used that to fuel his hot start. 

Anthony entered Saturday night's game 10th on the NBA's All-Time Scoring list and just 39 points behind Moses Malone for ninth place. He passed Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes in early May to move into the top 10. 

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Anthony has come off the bench all season for Portland, and has thrived in the role. He averaged more than 13 points per game while shooting 40.9% from beyond the arc in less than 25 minutes per game. Melo was out of the NBA for a year after short stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.

Many thought his career was over, but Portland took a chance on him after the Blazers struggled during the start of the 2019-20 campaign. The addition of Melo sparked a turnaround, and Portland was able to make the playoffs where it lost to the eventual NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Melo was selected third overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. He spent more than seven seasons there before being traded to the New York Knicks, where he spent more than six years. For his career, Anthony is averaging over 23 points and six rebounds per game as one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the game.

Prior to his success in the NBA, Anthony spent one season at Syracuse where he led the Orange to the 2003 National Championship. Melo is also the most accomplished Olympic basketball player of all time as well.