Only 10 players in Knicks history have had their jerseys retired, a list that includes legends like Patrick Ewing and Walt Frazier. Carmelo Anthony – who ranks third in franchise scoring and delivered their best season in over a decade – isn’t on that list. Now, with Melo set for Hall of Fame enshrinement, the debate over his legacy in New York rages on. A former ESPN analyst’s dismissive take just added more fuel to the fire.

Gilbert Arenas, in his talk show, explained how the Knicks should retire Melo’s No. 7 jersey. He isn’t pleased that the team hasn’t done so yet. Contrasting Arenas’ viewpoint, former ESPN analyst Dan Patrick offered a different perspective. The hosts asked him whether the Knicks should retire Melo’s jersey.  When pressed by the hosts, he questioned Melo’s contribution to the team. 

“Yeah, sure. I don’t care. No, like of all the things today where you go, ‘should Carmelo’ jersey be retired.’ I’d be like, I don’t care. I mean, he’s in the Hall of Fame, great. And he won a national title. But Syracuse, I believe they’ve retired his jersey!” he said after listening to a brief of Melo’s career with the Knicks. 

“Back to Carmelo if they want to retire his jersey, great. Build a statue like I don’t really care. If you’re a Knick fan, then maybe you go: Does he really belong up there with those guys? I’m not a Knicks fan, and so it doesn’t bother me,” he further added.

Patrick appeared to draw parallels between this situation and LeBron James with the Lakers. Now, getting back to Melo, while the 10x NBA All-Star spent significant time with the Knicks, he wasn’t able to achieve much success. He led the team to the playoffs only three times. However, they lost in the second round of the playoffs.

One of Melo’s best individual achievements with the Knicks came in the 2012-13 season. He averaged 28.7 points per game to lead the league in scoring. That season, the Knicks won 54 games, which was the franchise’s best tally since 1996-97. And while the New York Knicks have yet to do the honor, Melo wasn’t impressed with the Denver Nuggets skipping it.

Carmelo Anthony was frustrated that the Nuggets gave his jersey number to Nikola Jokić

Carmelo Anthony has recently voiced his displeasure regarding the Denver Nuggets’ decision to assign his former jersey number, 15, to Nikola Jokić. In a candid discussion on his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, co-hosted with The Kid Mero, Anthony described the move as a “petty maneuver,” suggesting that the franchise intended to diminish his contributions during his tenure with the team.

Anthony elaborated on his feelings, stating, “Why did you disrespect by even offering that [number]? The disrespect in offering that showed me that you wanted to erase everything that went prior.” Melo took the allocation of his number to Jokić as an attempt by the Nuggets to overshadow his legacy.

Of course, because of Jokic’s talent, the current generation now associates the number 15 with the Joker. Anthony remarked, “Because now when you think #15 in Denver, now, to this generation, you think of the Joker.”

Conversely, Nikola Jokić has consistently worn the number 15 throughout his basketball career. According to reports, during his youth basketball days in Serbia, Jokić selected the number because it was the largest jersey available, and he continued with it as a personal preference. When asked about following Anthony in wearing number 15 for the Nuggets, Jokić acknowledged Anthony’s legacy, stating, “Of course. He was a great player.” ​

The Nuggets’ decision to reassign the number 15 has sparked discussions about how teams choose to honor former players and the significance of jersey numbers in preserving a player’s legacy.