Carmelo Anthony Wants Knicks to Retire His Jersey

Questions about Anthony, or at least his Knicks jersey's likeness, taking up a permanent residency at MSG will undoubtedly persists after this latest honor, as the former Knicks and Syracuse star earned Springfield entry on his first ballot. Anthony addressed the idea of being honored by not only the Knicks but his original NBA employers, the Denver Nuggets, while taking in the Final Four celebration over the weekend.

Per Adam Zagoria of NJ.com, Anthony feels like the sooner would be better for all parties involved.

"I would love to see that, man," Anthony said in Zagoria's report. "For me it’s like, why wait? You know, it’s why wait? If you got to think about it, then cool, just let it be ... I would like to see that jersey in both rafters, Denver and New York.”

Anthony, who officially announced his retirement in 2023, spent the first 15 of 19 NBA seasons between Manhattan and the Rockies. The Knicks acquired Anthony, a Syracuse alum and Brooklyn native, from the Nuggets in February 2011 and he continues to stand as a beloved name among metropolitan fans despite a lack of postseason success.

"A lot of surprises [are] happening right now around me, so I’m just trying to stay in the moment," Anthony said when asked if he had thought about such an honor from the Knicks, per Zagoria. "If that’s one of the surprises, then I would be ecstatic about that.”

Neither the Knicks nor Nuggets have retired the number that Anthony wore during his days with either organization. Anthony wore No. 7 for the Knicks as the No. 15 he wore in Denver was previously taken out of New York circulation thanks to the work of Dick McGuire and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe.

While no Knick has worn No. 7 since Anthony's departure in 2011, the Nuggets have kept No. 15 available. It currently belongs to Nikola Jokic, someone who would no doubt be paired with Anthony on the Nuggets' Mount Rushmore.

Patrick Ewing was the last Knick to have his number raised to the MSG rafters, as his No. 33 was officially retired in 2003. In addition to the leaguewide cessation of using No. 6 (in honor of the late Bill Russell), the Knicks have officially removed seven numbers from circulation, including 10 (Walt "Clyde" Frazier), 12 (Dick Barnett), 15 (McGuire/Monroe), 19 (Willis Reed), 22 (Dave DeBusschere), 24 (Bill Bradley), and 33 (Ewing).

Both Bradley and Frazier endorsed Anthony's inclusion in the MSG rafters in a 2023 interview with Knicks on SI.

"Definitely," Frazier said. "I (also) think Bernard King, maybe Allan Houston, (John) Starks eventually, those guys are very worthy." 

"I think Carmelo had a great career," Bradley added. "I think there's a certain period of time you have to be out before people honor you (but) I'd love to see him up there, why not?"