At the age of 37, Carmelo Anthony stepped away from the court, despite averaging 13.3 points in his final season. After a productive year in the LA Lakers rotation, Melo hoped to run it back in NY, but that plan couldn’t come to fruition. But once he retired, the 10x All-Star was “at peace” with his decision. But did the retirement thoughts come much before? The former New York Knicks star shares the light on one interaction that is etched in his memory.

“I wanted to get away from the game the minute that one of these young stars started saying sh-t,” Melo recalls about his later years in the game. Players or media calling ‘vintage,’ and hearing “I ain’t know you still had that,” really got to the Knicks star. He recalls one such moment during his final year when he was returning to the stomping grounds where he began his journey. But an unintentional trash-talk is what he remembers the most from his apparent homecoming, leaving him with a stinging reality.

“We playing Denver. I’m so hyped to play Denver right like cuz I was going from the league, so I’m like, ‘oh we get a chance to go back and play Denver.'” Carmelo Anthony starts. “This the first time I played Denver in a long time. Going back, Michael Porter is guarding me. I catch him on like the right elbow and just like catch it post quick jab go left and lay it up. He like ‘damn Unc, I ain’t know you still had that.'”

The entire room burst out laughing and agreed ‘Unc’ part would hurt any athlete playing. Melo also explained a few more jabs that were hurtful, which made him think twice about his age.

“You know what, I got scarred, though man, early.” The 40-year-old said on his podcast, but the video title and description clearly specified that the taunt and trash talk was not in anger but unintentional. So let’s check more about Michael Porter Jr. and Carmelo Anthony‘s relationship.

Why disrespect from the Nuggets star did not bother Carmelo Anthony

“Yeah, I’m a big fan of Melo. He was one of my favorite players growing up.” MPJ, last year, openly aired his admiration for the 10x All-Star. Plus he disclosed that they have developed a relationship off the court, and often speak to each other. In fact, the 2023 NBA Champion also revealed that Melo asked him to practice during the off-season.

“So that’s definitely something I might do. But yeah I’m a big fan of his and his legacy. That’s definitely one of the guys I looked up to growing up for sure.” That’s why Carmelo Anthony did not mind the trash talk, because he knew the intentions behind them. And now with his focus on Kiyan’s future, the 3x Gold medal winner at the Olympics has other priorities lined up.

The new season of his podcast, the first episode will feature his son, who will reveal the choice that everybody is waiting for. Will the answer be Syracuse or USC? We will know soon. During that celebration, Carmelo Anthony won’t probably feel old, as his son is continuing his legacy.