Carmelo Anthony is one of the greatest scorers in basketball history and has an extremely decorated career with a list of accolades, ranging from winning a scoring title to Olympic gold medals.
It’s only a matter of time before Melo gets the call to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but for now, Melo will be inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2024 class.
This Hall of Fame voting committee is a revamped group that has gone under some changes after its original founders had all passed away. This caused a hiatus for the NYC Hall of Fame, which stopped functioning prior to the pandemic and was eventually brought back six years later.
NYC Hall of Fame Returns With Elite Class
Inducting one of the greatest hoopers from New York to pick up a basketball is the perfect way to reintroduce the NYC Hall of Fame.
Melo was born in Brooklyn, but moved to Baltimore when he was eight years old and spent most of his formative years developing his hoop culture in that area.
As a pro, Carmelo spent seven seasons donning the famous orange and blue when he played with the New York Knicks. Melo had plenty of memorable moments and brought the Knicks back to relevance in the NBA, turning them into perennial playoff contenders.
Overall, Anthony played 19 seasons for six teams. He averaged 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 1,260 regular-season games.
The 10-time NBA All-Star also was named to the 75th Anniversary team, thanks in part to a storied career between the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks, where he was in the Top 10 in scoring in nine of 10 seasons.
But before he was great in the NBA, Melo was a campus hero at Syracuse University, leading the Orange to a national championship in his lone year in 2003. So even though Melo couldn’t bring a title to New York as a Knick, he was able to bring one to one of New York’s legendary basketball colleges.
The revamped NYC Basketball Hall of Fame is headed by former basketball legend Nate “Tiny” Archibald and CEO Michael Cohen.
They moved the Hall of Fame records online to hoopshallny.org and are looking for a physical location for the reintroduction as well as the 2024 induction ceremony.
Who Else Is Being Inducted Into NYC Basketball Hall of Fame?
Melo isn’t the only one being inducted into this Hall of Fame class. Other New York notables who are a part of this induction are streetball legend Joe Hammond, former New York Liberty Star, 2010 WNBA Rookie Of The Year and Queens hoops legend Tina Charles and NYC coaching legend Ron Naclerio, the PSAL’s all-time winning hoops coach with 911 career wins and counting.
Related: Cardozo Hoops Coach Ron Naclerio Wins 800th Game (theshadowleague.com)
When you think of New York City hoops in the past 50 years, Naclerio’s fingerprints are all over the culture and its finest players. He’s been the head coach at Cardozo for 43 years, and before that historic run as the top dog, Naclerio served six seasons as an assistant.
“To be in the NYC Hall of Fame is mind boggling,” Naclerio told The Shadow League. “The greatness of who is in there and to be put up there with them is stuff you only dream about.
“You never think it becomes reality. When I think of the honor I shake. Can this all be real? I recall all the aspirations I had that never materialized, so doubt certainly creeps in.”
Now there’s no doubt anymore as far as where Naclerio stands in the pantheon of culturally impactful coaches.
What Is The NYC Basketball Hall of Fame?
The New York City Basketball Hall of Fame celebrates over 120 years of basketball in New York by recognizing and honoring the best basketball players, coaches, referees, promoters and contributors in the history of New York hoops.
Between 1990 and 2017 this Hall of Fame inducted a total of 28 classes and expanded its reach to induct non-basketball players into their ranks, such as ESPN Analyst Stephen A Smith, along with actor Denzel Washington, and director Spike Lee — seemingly the biggest Knicks fan.
While Melo is no longer playing in the NBA, this is only the beginning of the ceremonies and awards he will be receiving for what he’s done during his illustrious basketball career.
The Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame will be knocking shortly, and there’s no doubt that Melo is a first-ballot inductee, but for now he’s likely fine with the recognition for what he’s done for his home.
All of these deserved inductees have made tremendous contributions to the game and helped shape basketball culture in some significant way.
