Carmelo Anthony got a loud ovation from New York Knicks fans on Wednesday in his return to Madison Square Garden.
Wednesday is Anthony's second game at Madison Square Garden since the Knicks traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2017:
Melo’s back at MSG. pic.twitter.com/7HFW0eAeKb
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) January 2, 2020
Carmelo Anthony is the seventh all-time scorer in Knicks franchise history. In 412 games with the Knicks, Anthony averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
Article Continues BelowIn 19 games with the Portland Trail Blazers this season, Anthony is putting up 15.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 40.7 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from beyond the arc and 82.1 percent from the free-throw line.
The Blazers are 8-11 with Anthony in the lineup and 14-20 on the season overall.
Even though Anthony’s tenure in New York was filled with drama and the veteran scorer never lived up to the hype when he arrived from the Denver Nuggets in the 2010-11 season, Anthony was a professional in The Big Apple and is the best player to play for New York since Patrick Ewing.
Anthony is hoping the Knicks retire his No. 7 jersey one day. Only eight players have gotten their jerseys retired by the Knicks. They are Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, Dick Barnett, Dick McGuire and Dave DeBusschere.