Carmelo Anthony Joins the Hall of Fame Class of 2025: From Hoodie Melo to Hoops Immortal

Carmelo Anthony, one of basketball’s most beloved bucket-getters, officially punched his ticket to basketball immortality as part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2025. From high school hero to college champion, from Denver dominance to Madison Square Garden magic, Melo’s career has been nothing short of legendary—and often, pure poetry in motion.

Born in Brooklyn and raised on hoops dreams, Carmelo became a high school phenom at Oak Hill Academy, where his scoring touch was already smoother than a fresh pair of Jordans. But it was at Syracuse where Melo became a household name. As a freshman in 2003, he led the Orange to their first-ever NCAA Championship—dropping double-doubles like mixtapes, and cementing his one-and-done legacy.

The Denver Nuggets picked him third overall in the 2003 NBA Draft, and he immediately turned Mile High into Melo High. He averaged over 20 points in each of his first seven seasons— then in 2011, Melo was traded to his hometown New York Knicks, where he thrilled MSG crowds with clutch buckets, career-highs, and the occasional patented jab-step marathon.

His journey didn’t stop there: stints with the Thunder, Rockets, Blazers, and Lakers added depth to his story. And even when teams doubted him, Melo’s jumper never did. From Olympic golds (three of them!) to memes (hello, Hoodie Melo), he stayed iconic.

Top 5 Melo Stats That Deserve a Mic Drop

1. 28,289 career points – 9th all-time in NBA history.

2. 10-time All-Star

3. Three Olympic Gold Medals – The true Gold Standard. The Olympic Melo Effect:

Melo is Team USA’s all-time leading scorer with 336 total Olympic points—basically, he turned international competition into his personal shootaround.

4. 62 points in a single game at MSG – No assists, just art.

5.  Only Player to Score 50 Points in a Game with Zero Points in the Paint: In 2013, he dropped 50 points against the Heat—all jumpers, zero paint touches. No layups, no problem. Just pure Melo midrange magic.

Now, the Hall of Fame has a little more swish, thanks to Carmelo Kyam Anthony.