Giants' Russell Wilson Reveals Advice from Carmelo Anthony About Playing in NYC

New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony gave Russell Wilson advice about playing in New York City ahead of the quarterback's first season with the New York Giants, according to Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr.

“Me and Carmelo were talking about this,” Wilson told Orr. “He’s like, ‘Man, this is the perfect place for you to reestablish and have everybody realize who Russell Wilson really is, by not just how you play on the field, but what you do, the community and different things that you’re able to impact.’ And people, it doesn’t get any bigger than New York City.”

Anthony, who was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025, was named an NBA All-Star in each of his first six seasons with the Knicks.

Wilson may be four years older than Anthony was when he played his final season with the Knicks, but the 36-year-old told Orr that he feels "like I'm 25 years old all over again."

“I think part of that is just physically I feel great. Mentally, I feel amazing in terms of, It’s possible," Wilson told Orr.

Anthony previously told Wilson he believed playing with the Giants was an "incredible opportunity" for the quarterback in a May 29 episode of Anthony's podcast 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony.

When Anthony asked what had led him to join the Giants, Wilson answered, "I was just excited because, for me, New York, and this opportunity to play here, the world's biggest market, one of the toughest divisions in football, a lot of odds against you."

If getting the chance to play in New York wasn't enough encouragement, Wilson will have even more motivation in the form of the one-year, $10.5 million deal worth up to $21 million with incentives he signed with the Giants in March.

Those incentives include both playing time and performance incentives, including $2.5 million for clearing passing and touchdown thresholds as well as $3 million in win incentives and $2.5 million in playoff incentives, per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

The Giants will hope that contract, and the opportunity of a fresh start in New York, will give Wilson the incentive to help the team bounce back from a 3-14 finish to the 2024 season.