New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony revealed this week that he was offered a chance to return to the franchise late in his career, but turned it down.
In his seven years in New York, Carmelo Anthony had a memorable impact on the franchise. The story of the Brooklyn native returning to Madison Square Garden was an easy sell. But more than anything, the former Denver Nuggets star played a major role in bringing the franchise back after a decade of losing.
Despite never making it past the second round of the NBA playoffs, Anthony is still fondly remembered by many New York Knicks fans. And it hurt when he left via free agency in the summer of 2017. It was a necessary parting of ways between the future Hall-of-Famer and the franchise. However, it appears Anthony is almost back with the team ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season.
In a new edition of his podcast, “ 7 PM in Brooklyn ,” Carmelo Anthony spilled the beans about his comeback talks from two years ago. And what made him turn down the offer.
“We sat down and had a real conversation. ‘Listen, here’s a spot. You can be on the team tomorrow, but this is the spot.’ I said, ‘No, no, I can’t,’ ” he said [h/t Hoops Hype]. “Not knowing when you’re going to play and when you’re not going to play, I’d rather not go through that. I’m going to go out gracefully.
“I just had a hellish year in L.A. at my position. Basketball is not the issue. I can’t do it. It’s a hellish decline. When I look at it as a whole, the big picture, it’s a hellish decline. So I just had to hang in there,” he added. “No disrespect, but I can’t accept that.”