If it were up to Carmelo Anthony, he'd be playing in the NBA right now.
"2000 percent," Anthony responded this week when asked if he wants to keep playing. "Make that the headline."
Does Carmelo Anthony still want to play in the NBA?
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 8, 2019
"2000 percent. Make that the headline." pic.twitter.com/rU8aqEYUfy
It's been exactly a year to this date that Anthony last played in an NBA game. On Nov. 9, 2018, he returned to Oklahoma City and scored two points on 1-for-11 shooting from the field in a losing effort to the Thunder. A week later, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey announced that the team would be parting ways with Anthony after only 10 games, eventually leading to him being traded to the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls waived Anthony shortly thereafter, and he's been an unrestricted free agent since. Frank Isola of The Athletic reported before the 2019-20 season that the Brooklyn Nets were "interested in potentially signing" Anthony, but he remains unsigned.
"I don't really want to get into all that," Anthony also said. "I'm surprised, of course. It is what it is at this point, though. I'm sitting back, waiting, see what happens, spending time with the family right now. That's all I can focus on and the other things I have going."
The No. 3 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony is a 10-time All-Star with career averages of 24.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Whether he plays another game in the NBA or not, Basketball Reference puts his Hall of Fame probability at 98.2 percent.
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