DENVER, Jul. 12 -- Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony signed a multi-year contract extension, the team announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
“Carmelo is an outstanding young man, both on and off the basketball court,” said Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke. “Our fans should know that we are committed to bringing a championship to Denver and we believe Carmelo is a key piece of that puzzle. We’re delighted to have him under contract for many years to come.”
Anthony led the Nuggets to the Northwest Division Title last season, the club’s first division title since the 1987-88 season. The Nuggets have also reached the postseason for three-straight seasons since Anthony’s arrival in 2003. Prior to that, the Nuggets had missed the playoffs the previous nine years.
In 2005-06, Anthony ranked eighth in the NBA in scoring with a career-high average of 26.5 ppg, the highest rank by a Nugget since Michael Adams ranked sixth in 1990-91 (26.5). His scoring average increased by 5.7 ppg over last season. He scored at least 30 points in 28 games and had four games of 40-plus points this past season. He also shot a career-high .481 from the field and a career-high .808 from the free-throw line.
At the conclusion of the 2005-06 season, Anthony was named to the All-NBA Third Team, marking the first time a Nugget has garnered the honor since Antonio McDyess was selected to the Third Team for the 1998-99 season. He was also selected as the Western Conference Player of the Month for March after averaging 29.9 ppg on .549 (189-344) shooting, the first time he had received the award in his career and the first Nugget since Fat Lever got the recognition in April of 1988.
One of the most clutch players in the NBA, Anthony made five game-winning shots in the final five seconds of games for the Nuggets during the 2005-06 season and has now made eight game-winning shots for his career.
In 237 career games in the NBA, Anthony has averaged 22.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 2.7 apg.