Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony knows the NBA is making a bold move by resuming play in Orlando amidst a global pandemic, an economic recession, and an ongoing movement for racial equality—and he understands the pressure the league will be under.
“If we don't get this right, this puts a dent in sports in America. Everybody's looking to the NBA,” Anthony said to Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin. Anthony also noted the importance of the NBA using their platform to set a positive example for young people. “The younger generation, the ones that have the voice right now, are the ones that are going to propel us forward and make the change.”
Still, Anthony is a proponent of the resumption of the 2019-20 season at Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando “I'm excited about it. I trust the NBA and the NBPA” the veteran forward said. Anthony said his itch to think about basketball again is what ultimately motivated him to make the trip to Florida.z
In his 17th NBA season and first with the Trail Blazers, the 35-year old Anthony is averaging 15.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per game. Anthony has started all 50 of the games he's played with Portland (29-37) and the team has gone 22-28 since Anthony's debut. As it currently stands, the Blazers sit 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies (32-33) for the no. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
Despite the impending returns of Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic into the lineup, Anthony doesn't see his role changing much.
“In today's game, it's position less. There's not positions no more…”My role is continuing to do what I've done since I've been here. My role is clear-cut, and it's been working,” Carmelo Anthony told Highkin.
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