NBA Veteran: Camelo Anthony 'Tried To Take My Will'
Asked about his "welcome to the NBA" moment, veteran and free agent Stanley Johnson cited the first time he played against New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony.
"He wasn’t playing basketball, he was trying to take my will," Johnson said via Run Your Race. "We had like a back-to-back, or New York, space, New York, and I was a rookie, and he had about 35. I made him work for all of it but at the same time, it was the first game that I went home and your chest hurts, your ribs hurt, your arms hurt, your legs hurt. I just laid in the bed like 'I've got to try a new plan next game.'"
Johnson has played eight seasons in the NBA and is currently unsigned after appearing in 30 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season. He has played for five teams since entering the Association as the eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Arizona.
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At the time of that first meeting with Anthony, a then-19-year-old Johnson was repping the Detroit Pistons. In just under 19 minutes, Johnson was 2-of-6 from the field while Anthony had a game-best 24 with 6 assists and rebounds each. The Knicks won the game 108-96.
Johnson was likely far from the only youngster that Anthony stymied in his NBA career: he was a 10-time All-Star, making the team every season that he was on the Knicks after he was traded to New York during the 2010-11 NBA season from the Denver Nuggets.
As a Knick, Anthony averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 36.9 percent from deep and 44.3 percent from the field. Most recently, he was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary team, recognizing the top 75 players in NBA history.
Next up for Anthony is the Basketball Hall of Fame, which he becomes eligible for in the year 2026.
