Carmelo Anthony Reveals Big Fumble in Hall of Fame Assignment After Emotions Become Hurdle

Carmelo Anthony’s Hall of Fame moment is almost here, and the words he shares on Saturday promise to be profound, unfiltered, and perhaps even unedited. That’s partly because the 10-time All-Star didn’t give organizers much time to review his speech—if they even wanted to, it would have been only to make sure he stayed within the time limit. For any inductee, addressing a room filled with peers and legends is the most emotional milestone of their career, and for Anthony, the challenge has been especially daunting.

Ever since being elected to headline the Class of 2025, he has wrestled with the weight of finding the right words, even reaching out to 2023 inductee Dwyane Wade for advice. In the end, though, it seems Melo took his time to craft something deeply personal.

Before making the trip to Springfield, the former scoring champion has been making the media rounds in New York. His latest stop came on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where the host’s first question naturally centered on Anthony’s Hall of Fame preparations. Two days shy of becoming a Hall-of-Famer, Melo tells the host, “This is a dream, actually, that is really coming true.” As he’s said since he got nominated in late 2024, Anthony never thought he would be going in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. It appears that writing his speech didn’t make it sink in either.

When Colbert asked, “Do you have to give a speech or anything?” Melo had the funniest update. “Speech? Yeah, they’re probably mad at me because I sent my speech in two days ago and they was looking for it in July.”

Two days ago would mean less than a week to go before the Hall of Fame weekend. Melo and Dwight Howard were announced as finalists for the 2025 class in February. Melo hosted Dwyane Wade on 7PM in Brooklyn in March where Wade told him how the memories of his NBA career will come in as he puts pen to paper. In April, the entire class was finalized and for both Melo and Dwight, it was a dual celebration as members of the 2008 ‘Redeem Team’ also getting enshrined as a whole.

Melo also envisioned how it will go. He wished for D-Wade, Allen Iverson, and Michael Jordan to present him at the ceremony. He got two out of three. But surprisingly he didn’t give his speech draft on time.

The organizers only need to see a speech to ensure it is within a time limit. Not like they’re curating what Melo or his fellow enshrinees would say. But time hasn’t been Anthony’s problem. It was the emotions.

Carmelo Anthony gave a spoiler about his speech

The Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame committee weren’t the only ones breathing down Carmelo Anthony’s neck for the speech. Every guest on 7PM in Brooklyn was interested in how much progress he made on the speech. To his credit, the Knicks legend did answer without disclosing he was overdue on the draft submission.

In mid-August, over a month late on when the committee wanted the draft, Anthony announced on his podcast, “The speech is written.” Without spoiling what’s in it, he hinted that he won’t hold back on showing his emotions on Saturday night. “A tear coming down, for sure. That’s the moment. Fam, kids, people that you grew up with.”

Before he came a cultural icon through the Knicks, Melo was a Red Hook product who grew up in the Baltimore projects. Basketball was his escape from a poverty-stricken childhood and staying out of crime. He emerged as one of the potential stars in an era when a teen LeBron James was also gaining attention. He drew attention from Nike and Michael Jordan himself right from the AAU circuit.

He had cemented himself as a nationwide star hen he led Syracuse to the NCAA championship. He was part of the same star-studded ’03 draft as James and D-Wade. And while his individual accomplishments at Denver and New York were great, it was in Team USA that he cement his legacy. Which also makes his induction as an Olympian on the ’08 squad more meaningful on Saturday.

It’s no humble brag that Anthony didn’t think he’d breathe the same air as Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson, his mentors and best friend, D-Wade, a 3x NBA champion. Never winning a ring underscored an otherwise decorated resume boasting scoring titles, 10 All-Star appearances, and three gold medals. It’s also one of the cutting debates about why the Nuggets and Knicks fandoms don’t fully agree with retiring his numbers. Besides, he had officially retired in 2023 (he last played for the Lakers till 2022) and usually players have to be at least three years removed from the NBA to be nominated.

This only amplifies the emotions surrounding his enshrinement. So even though he spoiled that he’s going to cry during this speech, we’re prepared for the tears too.