Carmelo Anthony had a phenomenal career in the National Basketball Association, and although he says that he's at peace after retiring from the game, he admitted he wished he had listened to Dwyane Wade back in 2006.
Anthony retired from the NBA without a ring, and only Karl Malone has scored more career points in the regular season and playoffs combined without winning an NBA Championship, according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Herring.
In the summer of 2006, Anthony signed a five-year, $80 million maximum extension with the Denver Nuggets, although Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh all chose three-year deals instead so they could test free agency at the same time.
“My memory of that is that I called Mel like right as he was sitting down to sign his deal,” Wade told Herring, “and by then, it was too late.”
Anthony says he remembers it similarly, and wishes now that he had agreed to a shorter deal at the time.
“The only regret I've got there is not being intelligent enough about the business of the game,” he explained. “I got that call from [Dwyane] saying, ‘Take the three-year deal; we're all doing that,' and I'm like, ‘Do you know where I'm from, man?' Like, I'm happy, bro. I'm cool with Denver.'”
James, Wade and Bosh joined forces in Miami following the ending of their contracts in the summer of 2010, making four straight trips to the NBA Finals and winning two championships.
If Anthony had been on that Miami Heat team, who's to say they wouldn't have made that three, or even four. After that season, Anthony ended up requesting a trade out of Denver and ending up back with the New York Knicks in 2011.
“I'm at peace,” Anthony said about not winning an NBA Championship. “That doesn't bother me no more; that idea that you're a loser if you don’t win a championship. For me, I've won. I won back in 2003, the night I shook David Stern’s hand on that [draft] stage.”
Still, there was clearly at least one regret in the incredible NBA career of Carmelo Anthony.
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