Carmelo Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star, played 19 seasons in his career. He formerly played for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Denver Nuggets, and the Portland Trail Blazers. He retired from professional basketball with 28,289 career points, ranking as the ninth-highest scorer in NBA history.
Anthony was well-known before to his NBA debut. He led Syracuse to the national championship as a true freshman in 2003 before being picked by the Denver Nuggets later that year. Prior to his appointment in Denver, the NBA team had not made the playoffs in eight years.
However, he reversed the team’s fortunes, securing postseason berths for ten straight years following the Carmelo pick. In 2009, they advanced to the Western Conference finals to face Bryant and the Lakers, as reported by Sports Illustrated.
At the zenith of his career, he finished third in MVP voting in 2013 and was named to the All-NBA team six times. He is also a 10-time All-Star and a four-time Olympian (winning three gold medals).
Beyond the NBA, Anthony has quietly established a great reputation. According to Knickcentral, the NBA player’s net worth is estimated to be $170 million, which he has accumulated from investments and brand sponsorships. Forbes estimates he earned $6 million from endorsement deals. Brands include Jordan, Panini, Isotonix, Powercoco, Footlocker, and Haute Time.
In terms of investment, his holdings range from technology to wine. He owns investments in Melo7 Tech Partners, Creative 7, STAYME7O, and The Seventh Estate, a wine business. In 2018, he invested in Genies, a leading avatar technology startup, through a series A funding round. He collaborated with renowned sportsmen such as Kyrie Irving, Ndamukong Suh, and Russell Westbrook.
He also invested in two successful New York City eateries, Nobody’s Pizza and The Ainsworth. He has also invested in Overtime, a major brand for the next generation of sports enthusiasts.
According to Andscape, the former NBA star will be the new ambassador for Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) and owner of one of the league’s potential expansion teams. The NBL was founded in 1979 and presently includes nine Australian clubs and one in New Zealand. According to NBL President Larry Kestelman, Anthony will become a team owner at an undisclosed date and location.
“He is someone whose vision for the game is global and has influence to help young players actually succeed and get ready for the big stage of the NBA,” Kestelman told the outlet. “We’re going to work for him to look at the right place, the right team to get involved with, where he can influence a lot of individuals, help them grow, and mentor them on their pathway to the NBA. Couldn’t be more excited.”
Anthony will be a global ambassador for the NBL’s Next Stars program, a one-year fast-track program that began in 2018 and has since produced some NBA draft picks including LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey and Ousmane Dieng.
“The NBA draft is about to happen. So, you’ll start seeing, those pipelines of players coming from the Stars program here to the NBA,” Anthony said. “There is just a lot of excitement around it. I get a chance to be a part of it in a very integral way, in a very pivotal way where we’re opening up doors and connecting players, we’re connecting the game of basketball from a global standpoint.”
Anthony further believes that this new partnership will help his NBA team ownership aspirations. “Now. I want it now,” Anthony said regarding NBA ownership. “And that’s something that I’m working towards as we speak. So, I’m actually excited about those opportunities.”
The NBA great recently announced that he is a cannabis entrepreneur after founding the brand StayMe7o.