One of the premier scorers of his generation, Carmelo Anthony secured his legacy and his mark on the game by moving to No. 10 on the all-time scoring list on Monday night, passing Elvin Hayes with a three in the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks. Anthony, known for his signature jab step and clutch shooting, is a sure fire Hall of Famer, and this accolade is the cherry on top of a wonderful 18-year career.
Anthony is one of only two active players to be in the top 10 for scoring, joining friend and fellow 2003 draft mate LeBron James. Although Anthony is a long way from his New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets days, in which he averaged 20-plus points per game 14 times, and even won the scoring title over Kevin Durant with the Knicks in 2012–13, he’s still a potent and crafty scorer. Anthony is currently averaging 13.6 points per game and shooting a career-high 40.3% from three. This success is coming primarily from a bench role, a different role for Anthony, and one many questioned if he’d be able to take. Luckily, his ego did not impact the situation at all, and he’s been described positively and as a great teammate exclusively.
Damian Lillard even went as far to say, “Of course, I want to win it for me, but I want my legacy to be tied to yours, because you going to have a great comeback story because you was on the couch, they weren’t trying to play you and you came back, we welcomed you. I want to see you, you’re going to be a Hall of Famer, but I want you to have your ring too.”
Anthony’s team, the Portland Trail Blazers, is currently in the sixth seed in the Western Conference, and attempting to avoid the play in tournament. They’re tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for this position, and get to face them later this week. The Lakers will be without James, but will have the recently healed Anthony Davis for the critical tilt, which will go a long way in deciding first-round playoff matchups.
