Blazers News: Carmelo Anthony Reveals Hilarious Moment That Made Him Want to Retire

The 10-time All-Star's career was winding down when he was with the Portland Trail Blazers.

May 24, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) looks to shoot under pressure from Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony (00) in the first quarter during game two in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Carmelo Anthony, a beloved former 10-time All-Star with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, struggled to accept his new transition into a more supplemental role player while with first the Oklahoma City Thunder and then, briefly, the Houston Rockets.

But by the time he arrived on the Portland Trail Blazers, the 6-foot-7 Syracuse combo forward had embraced his role as a supporting veteran presence. During his first year in with Portland, Anthony appeared in 58 games (all starts), averaging 15.4 points on .430/.385/.845 shooting splits, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.8 blocks a night. Led by All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard and his backcourt mate CJ McCollum, the Trail Blazers finished with a 35-39 record (remember, this was the first COVID-19-shortened season) and the Western Conference's No. 8 seed.

During a recent episode of his podcast "7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & Kid Mero," Anthony explained that a matchup against essentially his modern day replacement on the Denver Nuggets, jump-shooting small forward Michael Porter Jr., first inspired him to think about hanging it up for good. Porter was selected with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, but only suited up for the first time in 2019-20, coinciding with Anthony's first season in Portland.

These new NBA youngins talk crazy to the OGs 😂

MPJ to Melo: “Damn unc, I ain’t know you still had that.”

Jabari Smith to Rudy Gay: “I thought you would come at me. I used to watch you growing up.” pic.twitter.com/HGcr00VRwV

— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) November 13, 2024

“We’re playing Denver," Anthony said. "This is the first time I played Denver in a long time. Go back. Michael Porter is guarding me. I catch him on, like, the right elbow and just, like, catch it, post, quick jab, go left, and lay it up. He’s like, ‘Damn, Unc, I didn’t know you still had that.’”

Anthony moved on to a reserve role with Portland the next year. He saw his shooting take a bit of a dip, averaging 13.4 points on .421/.409/.890 shooting splits, 3.1 rebounds, 1.5 dimes and 0.7 steals a night in 69 games (three starts). The Trail Blazers finished with a 42-30 record (remember, this was the second abbreviated season that had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic) and the West's No. 3 seed, but fell to Porter's Nuggets in a six-game first round playoff series. He went on to conclude his career as one of the few bright spots on an otherwise ill-fated Los Angeles Lakers squad in 2021-22.

The former No. 3 overall pick in the NBA draft had played 19 seasons in the league, and had been the best player on one Western Conference Finals club in Denver circa 2009. His frequent postseason appearances in his prime with the Nuggets and Knicks and his longevity and prolific scoring have cemented his legacy as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Longtime rival forward Rudy Gay was a guest on the podcast episode. He, too, revealed the moment he realized he was officially old.

“I thought you would come at me," Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., the 2021 No. 3 overall pick, told Gay, the No. 8 overall pick in 2006, in a matchup. "I used to watch you growing up.” Gay eventually hung it up after a 17-year career.

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