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Former NBA All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony announced his retirement in a video shared on his social media pages Monday (May 22) morning.
"Thank you #STAYME7O," Anthony wrote alongside the video in which he addressed his son, Kiyan, a high school basketball prospect for Christ The King Regional.
"Now the time has come for me to say goodbye to the court where I made my name, to the game that gave me purpose and pride," Anthony said. "With this bittersweet goodbye to the NBA, I am excited about what the future holds for me. When people ask what I believe my legacy is, it's not my feats on the court that come to mind, nor the awards or praise, because my story has always been more than basketball.
"My legacy, my son, it's in you. I will forever continue through you because the time has come for you to carry this torch."
Anthony, 39, a former national champion at Syracuse, was selected No. 3 overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 2003 NBA Draft and spent his first eight seasons with the franchise before being traded to the New York Knicks midway through the 2010-11 season, where he played for seven seasons. The Brooklyn native had later stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Anthony retires ninth on the NBA all-time scoring list with 28,289 career points during his career. The former Syracuse standout was a 10-time All-Star, a scoring champion in 2013 and a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.