Carmelo Anthony has announced his retirement from basketball. One of the great scorers the game has ever known, ‘Melo leaves behind a legacy full of accolades, tough buckets and three-fingers-to-the-dome celebrations.

In a video announcement on Twitter, Anthony reflected on his journey and said his son, Kiyan, will carry his legacy forward. “Basketball was my outlet,” he said. “My purpose was strong. My communities, the cities I represented with pride and the fans that supported me along the way — I am forever grateful for those people and places 'cause they made me Carmelo Anthony.”

After leading Syracuse to a national championship, Anthony was drafted third overall in the 2003 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. He led the team to their first Western Conference Finals appearance in over 20 years and played for the Nuggets for more games than any other team in his 19-year career.

In February 2011, Anthony was traded to the New York Knicks, a move he was pushing for in order to play for a more competitive team. He helped lead New York out of a period of profound misery and into the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, including a 54-win season in 2012-13, where he won the scoring title. While those Knicks teams peaked with an appearance in the second round, Anthony played a massive role in revitalizing one of the NBA's biggest markets.

After his stint with the Knicks, Anthony spent time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers. He was named to the NBa's 75th Anniversary Team, 10 All-Star teams, six All-NBA teams (two Second Teams, four Third Teams) and the 2003-04 All-Rookie First Team. He ended his career ninth on the all-time NBA scoring leaderboard.

Much of Anthony's basketball legacy was made with Team USA. After being a part of the disappointing 2004 team that took home the Bronze Medal, he helped lead the squad to Gold Medals in the Olympic Games of 2008, 2012 and 2016 and the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship. He ranks first in games played, points, field goals, rebounds and free throws in the Team USA men's Olympic record book.

Overall, Carmelo Anthony's basketball legacy is one to be extremely proud of. Hoops fanatics will remember him as one of the best players of his era.