All-Star Former Laker Talks Potential NBA Comeback

“I don’t get the itch going to games, though,” Anthony noted. “If I’m in the gym, training, I’ll get the itch. The process of getting ready for a professional game is so strenuous. If I was to come back, where are you gonna put me at? You ain’t gonna put me in the first ten of the rotation. I’m busy; I still work with my son, and I’m still active. I just don’t have to think about tapping into that realm of preparation.” 

The 6-foot-7 wing out of Syracuse was one of the few happy storylines of an otherwise deeply miserable nadir season for his longtime buddy LeBron James' Lakers tenure so far. Anthony, a six-time All-NBA Teamer and one-time league scoring champ, wrapped up his career as a key bench power forward for an aging L.A. squad.

Across 69 games (three starts) for L.A. during ex-head coach Frank Vogel's final season with the squad, Anthony averaged 13.3 points while slashing .441/.375/.830, 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals in 26.0 minutes per.

The 40-year-old would replace James as the league's oldest active player if he does return. That season's Lakers squad was littered with aging former All-Stars, from Anthony to Russell Westbrook to Rajon Rondo to Dwight Howard to DeAndre Jordan. But the club was deeply unathletic and, outside of a few bright spots like Anthony, was a poor 3-point shooting or defensive squad. Several players, not just Anthony, never played in the NBA again after that ignominious year.

Anthony was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, behind James and zero-time All-Star center Darko Milicic, but ahead of fellow future Hall of Famers Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, plus future All-Stars Chris Kaman, David West, Mo Williams and Kyle Korver. He never made a Finals, but his prolific legacy remains secure.