Carmelo Anthony, one of Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton's favorite players, retires
NBA legend Carmelo Anthony announced his retirement from basketball yesterday. Anthony, 38, averaged 22.5 points per game in his 19-year career and had impressive stints with both the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.
Anthony won the scoring title in 2013 and was one of the most influential players of his era. His scoring ability and style were endearing, and in the postseason as well as with Team USA, he was able to maintain a high level of play. He had many fans.
One of them was current Indiana Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton, 23, took to Twitter on Monday to share his thoughts about Anthony.
"My first NBA Jersey, I used to want cornrows so bad cuz Melo had em lol!" Haliburton tweeted. "One of the first legends to show me love. Salute to one of the realest!" The two squared off five times in the regular season.
"Love this," Anthony said in a quote tweet reply to Haliburton.
Anthony averaged 22.7 points per game in 43 outings against Indiana during his career. He added 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. His most noteworthy moment against the Pacers was a lowlight, though — Roy Hibbert blocked an Anthony dunk attempt with five minutes to go in Game 6 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Knicks were ahead by two at the time, but the Pacers battled back for a 106-99 win, which sent them to the Conference Finals.
Haliburton had more to say about Melo in a conversation with Cassidy Hubbarth on ESPN's Hoop Streams.
"Melo was one of the guys for me. That whole 03' draft class was special for me because that's right around... when I fell in love with basketball," Haliburton said. The Pacers guard was three years old for Anthony's NBA debut.
"I remember my first ever preseason game was against the Blazers, against Carmelo," Haliburton recalled. "I got him on a switch, I lost the ball. I couldn't even dribble, I was so shook," he joked. The All-Star guard said that it's nothing but love when he sees the six-time All-NBA forward now.
Anthony made the NBA's 75th anniversary team and is a lock for the Basketball Hall Of Fame. He is one of the best to ever play in the league and will have a long-lasting legacy, especially in New York and Denver. Haliburton is proof of that.
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