Wednesday's hoops: Carmelo Anthony reportedly a first-ballot Hall of Famer
The basketball world figured Carmelo Anthony would not have to wait long to add his name to the list of the game’s immortals.
Confirmation came Wednesday when ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that the 10-time NBA All-Star has been notified he’s been elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
Anthony, a six-time All-NBA selection and 2003 All-Rookie Team selection, is elected to the Hall of Fame after a career that included 19 NBA seasons in which he averaged 22.5 points and 6.2 rebounds over 1,260 games (1,120 starts).
For the player who led Syracuse to a national championship as a freshman in 2003 and later went on to be the face of the Knicks, the news will become official on Saturday when the announcement of the full class comes at the men’s Final Four in San Antonio.
The announcement at the Final Four will come 22 years after Anthony helped coach Jim Boeheim end his championship drought at Syracuse. Anthony led the No. 3-seeded Orange to the national title after beating Kansas, 81-78, in the championship game at the Superdome in New Orleans. It was Boeheim’s third trip to the title game.
For Anthony, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Jayhawks and earned Final Four Most Outstanding Player, the win culminated one of the greatest freshman campaigns in college hoops history. The Big East Rookie of the Year averaged 22.2 points per game in a season in which he started every game.
Anthony’s quick ascension into one of the NBA’s deadliest scorers started in 2003 when the Denver Nuggets selected him third overall, two picks behind future first ballot Hall of Famer LeBron James.
“CONGRATULATIONS MY BROTHER!” LeBron James wrote on X of Anthony’s Hall of Fame news.
Anthony averaged 21.0 points and 6.1 rebounds on 42.6% shooting his rookie year, but finished second behind James for the Rookie of the Year award.
From there, Anthony’s scoring only increased.
His highest points per game average came during the 2006-07 season with the Nuggets when he averaged 28.9 points in 65 games for a Denver team that lost, 4-1, to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in a Western Conference first-round series.
The soon-to-be Hall of Famer spent seven seasons in Denver before a 2011 blockbuster three-team trade to New York made him the biggest star on Broadway. Alongside Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman landed in New York from Denver. In return, the Nuggets received Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, Raymond Felton and draft compensation. A 2016 pick swap eventually landed Jamal Murray in Denver.
The third team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, received Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph and cash in exchange for Corey Brewer from the Knicks.
Anthony was selected to the All-Star team in all seven seasons he spent in New York (2010-17). He won the NBA scoring title in 2013 after recording 28.7 points per game. Anthony also finished third for MVP that season, behind winner James and Kevin Durant.
During his Knicks career, the Garden favorite averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists, but never managed to carry the Knicks past the second round of the playoffs.
He reached the Western Conference finals as a member of the Nuggets once, but his team fell in six games to Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers in 2009.
He never won an MVP award or captured an elusive NBA title, but he finished his career as one of the most decorated Olympic basketball players of all-time. He won three consecutive gold medals during the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Games.
Knicks' Brunson cleared
New York star guard Jalen Brunson has been cleared for basketball activities and could return to the Knicks' lineup for the final week of the regular season, coach Tom Thibodeau said before Wednesday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brunson is expected to resume practicing during the Knicks' road trip, the coach said. New York heads to Atlanta on Saturday before hosting Phoenix on Sunday and Boston on Tuesday.
Brunson sprained his right ankle during overtime of the March 6 game in Los Angeles against the Lakers when he landed on the foot of Lakers guard Austin Reaves after being fouled on a drive to the basket.
Despite Brunson's absence, the Knicks have gone 8-5 with him out of the lineup and are in third place in the Eastern Conference.
Embiid set for surgery
Joel Embiid will undergo arthroscopic surgery next week on his left knee, the latest attempt to make the All-Star center healthy enough to play next season.
Embiid was ruled out for the season in late February, with the Sixers saying he would focus on treatment and rehabilitation of his left knee.
One of the preseason favorites to contend for an NBA title, the Sixers are eliminated from playoff contention and sit at 23-53 entering Thursday's game against Milwaukee.
Nuggets rest all five starters
Denver coach Michael Malone declared all five of his starters out for the exhausted Nuggets' game against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
Denver's 140-139 double-overtime home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night played a role in Malone resting his stars.
Nikola Jokic scored a career-best 61 points against Minnesota and Malone said he informed his star after that heartbreaking loss that he'd be sitting out against the Spurs less than 24 hours later.
Jokic, who has been dealing with elbow and ankle injuries, and Christian Braun, who's been dealing with a sore foot, both logged 53 minutes against the Wolves.
Also out against San Antonio were Aaron Gordon (calf), Jamal Murray (hamstring) and Michael Porter Jr., who's tending to a family situation and also missed Tuesday night's game.