Carmelo Anthony was one of the greatest players of his generation but the one knock on him was that he was never able to win an NBA championship.
Now, after he announced his retirement, Anthony says he is at peace with the fact that he never won a title and isn't bothered by it anymore.
"I'm at peace. That doesn't bother me no more; that idea that you're a loser if you don't win a championship," Anthony told Sports Illustrated. "For me, I've won. I won back in 2003, the night I shook David Stern's hand on that [draft] stage. I made it out of Red Hook. I've won at life. The ring is the only thing I didn't get. It would've been a great accomplishment, but I don't regret it, because I feel like I did everything I could to get it."
Melo did certainly win at life and he secured generational wealth for his family. While an NBA title eluded him, Anthony still won an NCAA title with Syracuse and three Olympic gold medals, so he certainly isn't a loser. He also remains in the top 10 all-time for scoring, with his 28,289 points being good enough to rank ninth in NBA history. His other achievements include a scoring title, 10 All-Star selections, and six selections to the All-NBA teams. It would have been great if he could have won a title to cap it all off but it wasn't to be.
As the superstar, Melo certainly gets some blame for never winning a title, but the fact is he was never really on teams that were considered among the very best in the league. The Denver Nuggets teams he was on were good but not great and they made it to the Conference Finals once, losing to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in 2009.
The trade to the New York Knicks in 2011 didn't work out either, as the team had to give up a lot to get Anthony. He and Amar'e Stoudemire formed an impressive duo but they were never going to pose a serious threat to the Miami Heat. Things could have turned out differently had Melo opted to sign just a three-year extension back in 2006, as that would have allowed him to team up with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in 2010. He certainly would have won a title with Miami and his name would then no longer be on the list of the greatest players to have never won an NBA championship.
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