Carmelo Anthony Says 'Burden' Is Lifted After Being Elected to Basketball Hall of Fame

After it had been reported earlier in the week, Carmelo Anthony officially received his call to the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.

Appearing on ESPN with Rece Davis and Jay Bilas (starts at 4:45 mark), Anthony explained he felt like a "burden" had been lifted off his shoulders after getting the call that allowed him to relax knowing he had made it.

Anthony went in to say the Hall of Fame election made him "satisfied" knowing all the work he had put into becoming a great basketball player over the course of his life had paid off.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the full 2025 class on Saturday. Anthony is one of five individual players who made it in, along with Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles.

Anthony will technically be inducted twice this year because the 2008 USA Olympic men's basketball team, known as the Redeem Team, that he was a member of will also be honored at the enshrinement ceremony.

This year marked Anthony's first time being eligible for the Hall of Fame. He didn't officially retire until May 2023, though his final appearance in an NBA game was in April 2022 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Anthony is one of the most accomplished players of his era. He's one of 47 players in NBA history with at least 10 All-Star selections and was named to the league's 75th anniversary team unveiled in October 2021.

Among players who played their most career games with the Denver Nuggets, Anthony is just the fifth player in franchise history elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He joins a group that includes Dikembe Mutombo, Dan Issel, David Thompson, Alex English.

Anthony is also the 11th player who spent at least seven seasons with the New York Knicks to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

The 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony will be held on Sept. 6 in Springfield, Massachusetts.