Carmelo Anthony made his debut with the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, marking his first NBA game in over a year. He played relatively well, but he admits there was a time when he almost let go of his dream of returning to the league.

Melo's journey to this point has been long, and there were times when he thought he'd never play another NBA game. However, the Trail Blazers decided to give the former Syracuse standout another shot, signing him to a one-year, veteran's minimum deal earlier this month.

“There was a time when I actually thought that I was about to let go,” Anthony said Tuesday, via The Athletic.

“I had to get over that hump, mentally and emotionally,” Anthony added. “It was challenging, I will tell you that.”

Following Tuesday night's 115-104 loss to the Pelicans, Anthony noted that he missed the little things about being on an NBA team.

“It felt great to be back in the flow of the game, be back on the court, be back to where I think I belong at,” Anthony said, via ESPN, after posting 10 points and four rebounds in his Blazers debut. “Just being back out there with the guys again. I think most of all the routine — team bus, team lunch, being around the guys in the locker room — just the routine I've been used to for 17 years now … so getting back into that. As far as the game goes, it felt good to be back out there.”

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Anthony and the Blazers fell to 5-10 with Tuesday night's loss. They'll look to snap a two-game losing streak on Thursday night, when they travel to Milwaukee for a matchup against the Bucks. Tip-off inside Fiserv Forum is set for 8:00 p.m. ET, with TNT having live broadcast coverage.