“Every Morning You Have Two Choices: Continue To Sleep With Your Dreams, Or Wake Up and Chase Them.” And he is still chasing. Carmelo Anthony has never been the one to blend in crowd. From standing out in a roster of 15 fierce individuals, to competing with multiple ventures in a multi-billion-dollar industry. He always works ahead of his competitors. One clear example? Wine. Back in 2019, when most athletes were diving into sneakers or apparel, Melo quietly launched The Seventh Estate. A wine label rooted in French tradition and global ambition. And there he wasn’t just slapping his name on a bottle. But the secret to standing strong?

He partnered with legendary vintners in Chteauneuf-du-Pape and took deep dives into soil, harvest cycles, and tasting profiles. While others were chasing endorsements, Melo was building equity in culture-rich luxury. However, Melo never agreed to stop there. He wanted to diversify and grow as much as possible. We got to know about one of his rejected ideas from Carmelo Anthony himself. On another one of his activities, 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony, he disclosed something. 

He revealed, “If I’m doing the wine, it’s the same soil, it’s the same thing, I might as well create my strain.” But this was just an initial idea that crossed Melo’s mind for a brief second. Because he never takes up something easy and generic. Later, “Then I thought, nah, you know what, I don’t want to do my strain because everybody’s doing their strain.” Well, he’s never one to shy away from taking up challenges, so he discarded the idea of a generic variety of cannabis. 

Instead, he thought to himself, “How can I make it so this has longevity, so it’s a brand? Something where people feel safe when they’re involved with it and affiliated with it.” His real focus was to stand out and build a customer base that was looking for a safer alternative to associate with. He even went on to highlight his major focus points. “The messaging, the storytelling, but most importantly, the actual bud, the flower, was very curated based on analytics.” The product quality, that’s what Melo wanted. He aimed to outshine any other variety going around in the market.

And he did that through intensive market studies. “You get what I’m saying? Based on what people are smoking in different markets.” Melo treated each customer base as a unique one to deliver the perfect product. He went on to share how his products are differentiated based on customer demographics and different preferences according to geography. “My Portland product is different than the New York product. The New York environment, the Maryland product, it’s all going to be different than New York’s.”

Going through his business model, one thing is clear, that Carmelo Anthony is an unbeatable businessman. He’s setting standards. With vision, research, and authenticity, he’s crafting brands that prioritize quality, trust, and longevity across industries. Melo is playing the long game, brilliantly.

Carmelo Anthony’s never-ending business ideas

While juggling between dropping truth bombs on his 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast with The Kid Mero. To write checks through Melo7 Tech Partners. To invest $5M in NYC restaurants, Nobody’s Pizza and Ainsworth. When asked which 2006 FIBA World Cup teammates would make a great talent show panel, Carmelo Anthony didn’t hesitate: “Dwight Howard, LeBron James. I’ll put myself in that.” The answer was instant. Proof that Melo’s mind is always working, always connecting the dots between sports and entertainment.

The interviewer, sensing gold, dug deeper: “What type of show would that be?” Anthony’s reply was pitch-perfect. “It’s like The Masked Singer.” It’s the kind of star-powered entertainment that only someone with Melo’s instincts could dream up. The conversation then shifted to podcasts, and FIBAWC asked: “Which trio would make a funny podcast?” Again, Anthony fired back without missing a beat: “Myself, Dwyane, and LeBron. That’d be a good, funny podcast.”

The chemistry is obvious. Three of the NBA’s most charismatic stars, unfiltered and unscripted, trading stories and roasting each other. It’s not just content; it’s an event. Melo’s casual delivery masked the brilliance of the idea: a podcast that would dominate the space, combining nostalgia, humor, and the kind of brotherhood fans rarely get to see. These aren’t just throwaway answers. Anthony’s ideas tap into a cultural moment where sports legends are becoming entertainment moguls. While shows like All the Smoke and The Shop thrive on authenticity, Inside the NBA and Knuckleheads prove that fans crave real chemistry.

A Melo-Wade-LeBron podcast wouldn’t just compete, it’d redefine the game. And with The Draymond Green Show raising the bar, Anthony’s vision feels inevitable. So while retirement might have slowed others, Carmelo Anthony is just getting started. Whether it’s The Masked Singer with Dwight and LeBron or a podcast with his Banana Boat crew, his ideas are as sharp as his step-back jumper.