It is no secret that the Denver Nuggets and Carmelo Anthony are not exactly on the best of terms. However, it has also been years since the “divorce,” between the two sides. Regardless, Carmelo Anthony still feels a certain way about the organization not retiring the number 15, the number he wore during his eight seasons with the Nuggets. On the 7 p.m. in Brooklyn podcast, Melo had this to say:
“I’m like, (expletive) is going on? 15?” he said. “So now, just start thinking, this is because this is the narrative that they put out there.”He wanted to leave. He wanted to do this.” Nah. But why would you disrespect by even offering that? The disrespect in you offering that showed me that you just wanted to erase everything that came prior to that right there. So yeah, (expletive) y’all. You’re saying, (expletive) me dead smack to the rest of the world. Cool. I ain’t never said nothing bad about y’all.”
Anthony also added this:
“I don’t know. He could have worn it because he wanted to pay homage,” Anthony said. “But what I believe is that they gave him 15 to try to erase what I did. … Only thing I know is what I believe is that that was done purposely. That was a slap in the face.”
Despite Melo feeling this way, his reasoning does not make sense for more than a few reasons. Anthony Randolph actually wore the number after Anthony was traded. On top of this, Jokic had been wearing the number since his days in Serbia. Anthony did put the Nuggets back on the map during his prime. However, it is clear that Jokic has done more for the organization.
Carmelo Anthony Makes Outrageous Claim About Nuggets Giving Nikola Jokic the Number 15
Carmelo Anthony’s Tenure in Denver
Anthony solidified himself as one of the best scorers the NBA has ever seen in Denver. During his Nuggets tenure, he secured five All-Star selections, finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind LeBron James, and also made a couple All-NBA Teams. In his eight years with the Mile High city, he also averaged 24.8 points, 3.1 assists, and 6.3 total rebounds per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field. However, the former Syracuse product only led the team to one Western Conference Finals appearance. He also failed to win a ring with them. A feat that Nikola Jokic just accomplished this past summer.
Why the Number 15 Will be Retired for Nikola Jokic
As great of a player Carmelo Anthony was, it is no secret that Nikola Jokic is already solidified as the best player in Denver Nuggets history. Not only did he lead them to their first championship, he is also on pace to have the most triple-doubles in NBA history. Not to mention, the Serbian sensation has also won two league MVPs and a Finals MVP. Despite Carmelo Anthony’s discontentment, it is pretty easy to see why the number 15 was not retired by the Nuggets for him. It will be retired for Nikola Jokic one day and that is a fact.
