Carmelo Anthony may have hung up his sneakers in 2023, but the basketball conversation around him has never been louder. In 2026, Melo is making headlines again — this time from the sideline. As one of three Hall of Fame coaches in the NBA Rising Stars Game, Anthony is enjoying a new chapter that cements his status as one of the game’s most beloved figures.
The NBA Rising Stars Game: Melo Takes the Mic
This year’s NBA Rising Stars Game introduced a compelling new format: three Basketball Hall of Famers were tasked with drafting and coaching teams of the league’s brightest young talents. Carmelo Anthony joined Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady as the trio of legends responsible for picking their rosters in a live, schoolyard-style draft broadcast on NBC and Peacock.
Anthony didn’t waste his first pick. With the No. 1 overall selection, he took Dallas Mavericks phenom Cooper Flagg — the consensus pick for most electrifying young player in the league. It was a statement selection, and one that drew immediate applause. “That’s my guy right there,” Anthony reportedly said, with the grin that launched a thousand highlight reels.
Watching Anthony in this coaching role, it’s clear he has a natural ease on the stage. His competitive fire, his encyclopaedic knowledge of the game, and his warmth with younger players all translate seamlessly from the court to the dugout. Whether this signals a longer-term move into coaching or front-office work remains to be seen — but the appetite is certainly there.
The Hall of Fame Journey
Carmelo Anthony was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025, alongside Dwight Howard, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, and others. The enshrinement ceremony took place on 6 September 2025 at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Anthony chose two of his closest friends in basketball — Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade — to present him at the ceremony. His induction speech was widely praised as heartfelt and genuine, touching on his journey from the streets of Baltimore and New York to becoming one of the most gifted scorers the game has ever seen.
He thanked the New York Knicks — the franchise where he produced some of his most iconic moments — in a section of the speech that drew rousing applause from an audience that included many former teammates and rivals.
The Career That Deserves to Be Celebrated
For those who need a reminder of just how good Carmelo Anthony was: he retired as the ninth all-time leading scorer in NBA history, with 28,289 career points. Only eight players in the history of the sport have scored more. He was a 10-time All-Star, a six-time All-NBA selection, and a three-time Olympic gold medallist with Team USA.
What sometimes gets lost in the conversation is how technically brilliant Anthony was as a pure scorer. His mid-range game, his footwork in the post, and his ability to create his own shot under pressure were as refined as any player of his era. Those who watched him in his prime with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks were watching something close to a masterclass in offensive basketball.
The one trophy that eluded him — an NBA Championship ring — is the only meaningful asterisk on an otherwise extraordinary career. But as Anthony said in his retirement statement: “I’ve won at life. The ring is the only thing I didn’t get.”
Life After Basketball
Since retiring, Anthony has kept himself busy. He launched Isos7 Growth Equity, a $750 million private equity fund focused on acquiring ownership stakes in major league sports teams — a venture that speaks to his ambitions beyond the hardwood.
He has also become an increasingly prominent voice on social issues, continuing the activism that defined his public profile during his playing days. And with his son Kiyan Anthony emerging as a highly rated prospect in his own right, the Anthony basketball legacy is far from finished.
In 2026, Carmelo Anthony is everywhere — coaching legends, honouring legacies, and reminding everyone that the most compelling stories in basketball don’t end when the final buzzer sounds.