Carmelo Anthony Thanks Portland for 'Letting Me Love Basketball Again'
It was hardly surprising when news broke on Tuesday that Carmelo Anthony would sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
His departure had been anticipated pretty much since the Trail Blazers were eliminated from the playoffs in early June, and all indications were that he'd end up with Portland's longtime rivals in Southern California. But Anthony isn't ready to embrace being a Rip City villain quite yet.
The future Hall-of-Famer posted a heartfelt farewell message on social media Wednesday morning to the Blazers organization and city of Portland, thanking them in part for "letting me love the game of basketball again."
Anthony, 36, had previously confirmed his signing with Los Angeles to chase his first title with close friend LeBron James by posting an image of his signature logo morphing into the Lakers'.
Anthony signed with the Blazers on November 19, 2019, just more than a year after he was released by the Houston Rockets.
After waiting for a call but going unsigned for a full NBA season, Anthony was forced to grapple with the idea that his iconic playing career had come to a premature finish. But Portland, in dire need of frontcourt help while Jusuf Nurkic recovered from injury and Zach Collins had just undergone surgery on his shoulder, finally picked up the phone, ending Anthony's unwanted NBA hiatus.
'Melo averaged 14.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 28.3 minutes per game during his time in Portland. He was named the league's inaugural Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion in June, less than two months after passing Elvin Hayes for tenth on the all-time scoring list—a tidy encapsulation of his palpable on and off-court impact with the Blazers.
Anthony, a fan favorite in Portland as much for his playing past as his present, will no doubt emerge as the same in Los Angeles. But he proved with the Blazers that he remains a useful NBA player even irrespective of his reputation, a late-career victory that seemed impossible after Anthony's ill-fated stints with the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Good luck with the Lakers, 'Melo!