'Nobody Can Explain It': Carmelo Anthony Still Clueless About Ugly Exit From Rockets
HOUSTON — Carmelo Anthony announced his retirement Monday morning after 19 seasons.
He is a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer who scored 28,289 career points, which ranks ninth all-time in NBA History. A 10-time All-Star. A six-time member of the All-NBA Team. And a record-breaking three-time Olympic gold medalists.
Anthony played for six teams throughout his luxurious career. But his most horrific stint came during the 2018-19 season when he signed with the Houston Rockets.
He played 10 games before his premature jettison on Nov. 15. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Anthony revealed he is still clueless behind the reasoning for his exile nearly five years later.
"Nobody ever really explained it to me," Anthony said. "To be honest, nobody can explain it to me because there’s no real reason as to why any of that transpired. And I beat myself up about it.
"I took the role off the bench. I did everything they said I gotta do. So, I kept thinking, it’s gotta be deeper than that. It felt like it was about more than just basketball at that point."
Former general manager Daryl Morey announced that the team and Anthony were "parting ways." Three months later, the Rockets traded Anthony to the Chicago Bulls, who waived him before his arrival.
The notion following Anthony's departure from Houston stained his career. He remained a free agent for the rest of the 2018-19 season. The following year, the Portland Trail Blazers gave Anthony a chance to revise his career.
The Rockets went 4-7 during Anthony's tenure. He averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds and scored 20 or more points three times while contributing to two early season wins.
Anthony's best game came amid an eight-point victory against the Brooklyn Nets. He scored 28 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting in 30 minutes inside the Barclays Center.
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