Carmelo Anthony was announced as the first inductee of the 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class on Wednesday (April 2), ESPN's Shams Charania reports.
Anthony, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA during his 19 seasons with the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers, was selected to the Hall of Fame during his first year on the ballot, having retired in 2022.
"First ballot: Carmelo Anthony has been notified that he's been elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025, sources tell ESPN. Anthony made 10 All-Star appearances and six All-NBA teams in 19 seasons to go along with three Olympic gold medals for Team USA," Charania wrote on his X account.
Anthony led the Syracuse Orange to a national championship during his lone collegiate season before being selected by the Nuggets at No. 3 overall during the 2003 NBA Draft, widely regarded as one of the best draft's in league history, as part of a top-5 class that also included LeBron James (No. 1 overall, Cleveland Cavaliers), Chris Bosh (No. 4 overall, Toronto Raptors) and Dwyane Wade (No. 5, Miami Heat). The New York City native quickly emerged as one of the league's brightest stars, finishing second to James for the 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year award and was a perennial All-Star during his stints with the Nuggets and Knicks.
Anthony finished his NBA career with 28,289 points, which ranks 12th all-time behind nine Hall of Famers and two active players, James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer and Kevin Durant, who ranks eighth.