Carmelo Anthony is just one of a handful of NBA greats that were fortunate enough to don the Los Angeles Lakers jersey during their careers.
Anthony’s final season in the league came with the Lakers during the 2021-22 season, coming off the bench and playing a much lesser role than he was accustomed to. At that point in his career, he had accepted he was far past the star forward who used to be able to score at will. Although reduced to more of a spot-up shooter, Anthony thrived in spurts before deciding to officially walk away from basketball for good.
Los Angeles missed the playoffs that season, but it was still a joy to watch Anthony light it up for one season. There were numerous times in the past where it seemed like Carmelo would join L.A., but the two sides finally joined forces for his last go-around.
Because the Lakers missed the playoffs, most fans normally dismiss the 2021-22 season but Anthony called it the best one of his career, via CTRL the Narrative:
“New York was more refined and more intellectual, more of a student of the game and thought the game out more so than the physical game. In all honesty, my best year that I’ve ever had was with the Lakers. And people will be like how can that be, you only played one year with them? But when you look at the numbers and the efficiency and field goal percent, we’re in a game of numbers now and analytics. So if you look at analytics, the Lakers’ year was one of my best years out of 19 seasons.”
From an efficient field goal percentage standpoint, Anthony is correct in that his final season with L.A. was the most efficient of his career. He also shot 37.5 percent from the 3-point line, though that was good for the sixth-best shooting season of his career.
Anthony deserves credit for morphing his game to thrive on less shot attempts and contributing more as a floor spacer than primary option. At his peak, Carmelo could score with the best of them but he showed he was more adaptable in his later years.
Highlights from Carmelo Anthony’s Hall of Fame induction
Because of career numbers and scoring acumen, Carmelo Anthony was a shoe-in to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Anthony earned his spot with the 2025 Class and highlights of his enshrinement include Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade welcoming him along with a heartfelt thank you to his father and the game of basketball.
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