Approximately nine months ago, Carmelo Anthony bid farewell to his NBA career. During his retirement, it seems that the aspect he misses most about the game is the attention it brings. Anthony has been actively engaging with the media, sharing lesser-known anecdotes from his time in the NBA and expressing his personal beliefs.
In a recent appearance on a podcast, Anthony asserted that the Denver Nuggets were attempting to diminish his legacy by assigning the No. 15 jersey to Nikola Jokic. Venting his frustration on the New York-based podcast "7PM in Brooklyn," Anthony criticized the Nuggets for what he deemed a "petty maneuver." He claimed that it wasn't a simple matter of available jersey numbers, stating, "It wasn't like, 'Oh, we got numbers to choose from.' It was like, 'Here, you got 15.'"
Anthony didn't stop there, further commenting, "Y'all put Jokić in the middle of that. He don't [sic] know what the (expletive) is going on. … He could have worn it because he wanted to pay homage, but what I believe is that they gave him '15' to try to erase what I did."
There are a few counters for Anthony’s claim, however. For one, it assumes the Nuggets knew Jokic would become a two-time NBA MVP.
When Jokic was picked in the second round, 41st overall in 2014, his selection was so underwhelming that ESPN played a commercial for Taco Bell’s 'Quesarito,' a moment which is now looked back upon by Nuggets fans as a canon event in Jokic lore.
Hot takes and Hot Ones
It hasn’t all been sour grapes for Melo when recalling his career in Denver, however. Anthony also made a recent media appearance on the popular YouTube talk show “Hot Ones," where guests (usually a celebrity or athlete) answer questions while eating incredibly spicy wings with host Sean Evans.
In one segment of the show, Anthony revealed he shared the same building with Nuggets super mascot “Rocky” during his time in Denver.
“Rocky was my man,” Anthony said. “I never knew that was him. One day, after practice, I catch him with the helmet off. I said, ‘you live in my building'… Shout out to Rocky.”
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