Kyrie Irving has, what some may call, the deepest ‘bag’ in the NBA. That basically means that he’s a ‘magician’ on the court with the biggest ‘bag’ of tricks. Widely considered one of the most skilled ball-handlers of all time, Irving has always stolen the spotlight with his flashy dribbling and almost ‘impossible-looking’ finishes.

However, in a recent interview, a New York Knicks legend unravels the difference between being skilled and truly great.

Difference Between Being Skilled and True Greatness

In an interview with Complex, Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony talked about life after basketball, his legacy, ring culture, and the skill of NBA players today. To explain the difference between a skilled NBA player and a truly great NBA player, Melo gave the example of Kyrie Irving and Nikola Jokic.

The Knicks legend explained, “I believe there’s a difference because a guy like Kyrie can be top-five in skill but not a top-five player but others might say Giannis [Antetokounmpo] can’t be a top-three player because of skill.”

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“There’s a big difference. Kyrie may be the most skilled player in the NBA. Him and Jokic,” admitted the 10-time All-Star.

Elaborating on the difference between the most skilled and the greatest, Carmelo Anthony continued, “Speaking on Kyrie, a lot of people may say he’s not the best player but he’s the most skilled. The best player comes with different things… You got to be one out of 400. Like you put that in perspective. and that’s very hard, very difficult.”

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However, apart from the eight All-Star selections, Kyrie is also an NBA legend in his own way. He is a 2016 NBA champion who played a pivotal role in the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ iconic first title. Though Melo couldn’t secure a championship during his time in the league, he is a lock for the Hall of Fame.

Carmelo Anthony’s NBA journey 

After entering the league in 2003, Carmelo Anthony has performed in almost every single game to the best of his capabilities.

Despite never having won an NBA championship, he has single-handedly influenced and changed (positively) the basketball culture of not one but two franchises. As a rookie, he revived the Denver Nuggets’ lost glory and led them to playoffs every single year from 2004-2010. Considering that the Nuggets before 2004 hadn’t been to the playoffs for 8 consecutive seasons, this was a big achievement. 

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During his time in New York, he became the only player to have ever scored a career-high of 62 points. By setting a Knicks’ single-game scoring record and a Madison Square Garden single-game scoring record, he fulfilled the wish of many Knicks fans who finally had an NBA All-Star on their team.

The recently retired NBA superstar is a 10x NBA All-Star, who is one of the most feared scorers of all time. Ranked at 9th overall on the leaderboard of ‘Most Points Scored’, Carmelo Anthony is undoubtedly one of the NBA’s greats. If he put the ball behind his head, you better send a double-team!