Carmelo Anthony is without a doubt one of the most accomplished players in today's game.
Since being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony has been selected to 10 All-Star Games, six All-NBA teams, won the NBA's scoring title in 2013, and, just last season, moved to 10th place on the league's all-time career scoring list.
And while Melo has racked up individual accolades, the most successful run any of his teams have had came over a decade ago, when he helped lead the Denver Nuggets to the 2009 Western Conference Finals.
As a free agent in 2021, Anthony elected to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers to join forces with his good friend LeBron James on a team that is less than a year removed from hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy. In his first media appearance as a member of the Lakers, Anthony spoke on the one goal he looks to achieve as he embarks on this new beginning.
"I'm coming in with a championship on my mind," Anthony told ESPN. "I think we all know that this is the one thing that I'm missing, right? This is the one thing that it keeps me up at night, it motivates me, because I don't have it. I want that experience."
Anthony, 37, is coming off of a season in which he averaged 13.4 points over 69 games (three starts), for a Portland Trail Blazers team that finished sixth in the Western Conference. It marked the first season of Anthony's career in which he was a full-time reserve, a role that he came to excel in for Portland.
Like James, Anthony is entering his 19th NBA season but his numbers with the Blazers indicate that he has the ability to contribute to winning basketball. Anthony's shooting ability is a particular skill that will be key for Los Angeles this season, as the team's busy offseason has been highlighted by the acquisition of 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, who called Anthony a teammate for one season with th Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers have undergone a transformative offseason in which they acquired a number of veterans, as Anthony and Westbrook are a part of a movement that also includes 17-year veterans Trevor Ariza and Dwight Howard, 11-year veteran Wayne Ellington and eight-year veteran Kent Bazemore.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, LA retained 20-year-old Talen Horton-Tucker and added a 23-year-old in Malik Monk in addition to 26-year-old Kendrick Nunn.
With several players north of 30 years old, the Lakers have a goal to win now and win big, and Anthony looks to play a key role in order to attain that elusive NBA title.
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