Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks had their ups and downs with one another. Anthony, who recently announced his retirement from the NBA, was an All-Star during each year he played in New York. However, the team endured their struggles with multiple different coaches leading the way during his tenure with the Knicks, with one of those coaches being Phil Jackson. For those who may remember, Anthony decided to return to the team despite Jackson suggesting that the star should take a pay-cut to help the Knicks.
Carmelo Anthony recently addressed his decision to return to New York even after Jackson's less-than-ideal suggestion, per Chris Herring of Sports Illustrated.
“I’m thinking, is this really happening? That’s the energy?” Anthony said. “And even after that, I still made the choice to come back. I just wanted to feel like we were in it together. But that never happened. The energy was shifting [with Jackson], and I understood that later. But I told myself: I’m not breaking. I’m not folding. New York is where I wanna be.”
Carmelo Anthony enjoyed a superb NBA career. His retirement announcement drew no shortage of reactions from all around the league. Anthony was a pure scorer and consistent superstar. Additionally, he was dominant for a long time, posting over 25 points per game on a regular basis during his prime. He played most of his seasons with the Denver Nuggets and Knicks, but also spent time with the Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Lakers.