Sept 27, 2010; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony (15) and head coach George Karl wait to speak at a press conference during media day at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Former Coach Looks to End Beef With Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 5:00 PM ET

If there's one thing Carmelo Anthony and George Karl can agree on, it's their disapproval of the other's approach to basketball.

Anthony went on to lead the NBA's biggest market with the New York Knicks by the time he was an estblished superstar, but that's now where he got his start.

The future-Hall of Fame scorer and Hall of Fame head coach spent over half a decade together with the Denver Nuggets, helping to lead the underachieving franchise to which Anthony was drafted before the weathered Karl took over in 2004. They clashed during their matrimony, but Anthony's upcoming induction into the Hall has motivated his former thorn to soften up.

"Melo’s Hall of Fame enshrinement is well deserved this weekend," Karl wrote in an X post. "Carmelo Anthony is one of the best scorers in basketball history and should be celebrated. I’m happy for him!"

Melo’s Hall of Fame enshrinement is well deserved this weekend.

Carmelo Anthony is one of the best scorers in basketball history and should be celebrated. I’m happy for him! pic.twitter.com/1fnbtXDIuX
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) September 4, 2025

Anthony's eventual trade demand to the Knicks arrived off of the heels of seven raucous years in Denver, where he was the lone constant scorer. The 10x All-Star was joined by fellow Hall of Famers in Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups during his quest to bring glory to the Nuggets, but couldn't ever break through to the NBA Finals in the crowded Western Conference.

He clashed repeatedly with Karl during his time out west, with the coach vocally disapproving of what he viewed as a selfish perspective of basketball from Anthony. The star showed glimpses of his potential as an all-around stud on the court, but prioritized his bucket-getting to Karl's chagrin. The coach, having already amounted nearly two decades of NBA head coaching before taking charge of the Denver locker room, was a near-instant foil to the young gunner.

He declared an end to his beef with Anthony exactly a year before wishing him well on his trip to the Hall, declaring "all love from here on out." The controversial coach amounted his fair share of enemies during his time in the NBA, and looks to settle his most notable scores entering his mid-70s.

Former New York Knicks Forward Carmelo Anthony Tim Fuller-Imagn Images

He didn't quite get the last laugh, never again returning to the Western Conference Finals after he did so in the 2009 playoffs, but neither did Anthony. His Knicks run in the 2010s was defined by front office mismanagement, as they squandered the tail end of the star's prime before he wasted away on a beleaguered rebuild.

The current iteration of the team's gotten their act together too late for Anthony, who's been out of the league long enough to achieve Hall of Fame eligibility as well as the necessary votes, but the celebration of their former franchise star has begun to bring some old foes together.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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