Mar 29, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) inspects the ball before the first quarter against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Knicks Legend Snubbed From Century’s Top Players List

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 1:00 PM ET

For as historic and famous of a franchise as the New York Knicks are, they've lagged well behind the majority of their NBA peers in translate that old legend to modern success.

The 2020s have gone considerably better than the previous pair of decades, with this current contending roster giving fans of the team the best shot they've had at winning a championship than they've had all decades, complete with the star power they spent years chasing without their current infrastructure.

Carmelo Anthony was the last successful, perennial All-Star of a franchise face they had before Jalen Brunson ascended into one of the NBA's top scorers, and despite the strong reputation he left behind for the fans, he's remembered as a step bel ow some of the century's other first-ballot Hall of Famers.

CBS Sports conducted a ranking of the 25 best players of the 21st century's first quarter, and despite several other, less iconic Knicks making the cut, Anthony was entirely left off.

In a result reminiscent of when the site put three All-Century teams together earlier in the week, the 10x All-Star went unmentioned as countless peers of his received flowers. This was a list dominated by the greats of Anthony's era, with 2003 NBA Draft classmate LeBron James topping the recent list while other former teammates like Allen Iverson, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard and Jason Kidd each earned nods.

Los Angeles Lakers Forward LeBron James and Former Forward Carmelo Anthony Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Anthony's omission serves as one of many reminders of how loaded the century's talent pool has been, something he had to come to terms with early on as a player. The multi-level scorer spent the pre-New York portion of his career in the wild Western Conference, with his Denver Nuggets winning considerably more games than they lost while getting consistently pushed out of the way by superior in-conference competition.

He arrived to New York in an attempt to capitalize on the appeal of the big market, leaving Denver for a chance at winning out east. His play diminished over time, but that iteration of the Knicks' front office did little to make his job easier. While Anthony's play style had its critics, the lack of consistent help hurt his chance of earning more postseason accolades, and those proved the difference in exercises like this one by CBS Sports.

He'll always have his scoring numbers, as the 2025-26 season is set to commence with Anthony still clinging onto his spot on the league's top 10 all-time points leaderboard, but that just wasn't enough to break into the century's exclusive class.

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

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