Carmelo Anthony

Jonah Ballow

Carmelo Anthony’s All-Star break vacation plans were altered when the league office called No. 7 to jump on the main stage for Sunday’s showcase event.  Prior to Wednesday’s contest in Oklahoma City, the Knicks leading scorer accepted the invitation as an injury replacement for Kevin Love on the Eastern Conference All-Star squad.    

“I’m gonna still go out there and represent not just the organization but New York City as a whole is still an honor for me to do that,” Anthony reacted on Wednesday evening.

Anthony will appear in his 10th All-Star game and it’s the sixth time he will represent the New York Knicks franchise.  In 2014, Anthony sparked the East with a spectacular shooting performance from long distance.  By drilling 8-of-13 shots from the arc, Anthony set an All-Star record en route to a 30-point night while the East topped the West, 163-155 in New Orleans.

In his return trip to the Big Easy, Anthony will enter Sunday's show a different role as a reserve and with the opportunity to join his young teammates in the celebratory weekend.  Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez were named to the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night.  The 7-3 Porzingis will also participate in the Skills Challenge on Saturday night.  Anthony is ecstatic to see the rookie Hernangomez earn the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities in front of a large audience on Friday.

“For him to go out there and represent in that game, just to be there and have his first experience at All-Star Weekend alongside his brother KP, so the guys I’m pretty sure they will enjoy it.  So, I’m more excited for them guys to go out there, especially Billy,” Anthony smiled.

Stay tuned for comprehensive coverage from New Orleans on Knicks.com.

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Melo Returns to New Orleans for 10th All-Star Appearance

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Gallery: The Best Snapshots From the Knicks West Coast Trek

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In the entire history of the NBA, only 10 players not named Wilt Chamberlain have scored as many points in a single game as the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony did in a blowout win against Charlotte in January, 2014. In establishing a Madison Square Garden record, Anthony submitted a box score highlighted not just by all those points: He also had 13 rebounds and zero turnovers.

Stay tuned to Knicks.com for more as we deliver 70 moments in 70 days leading up to the season opener.

Be there this season, for information on tickets and season memberships click here.

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#NYK70 | 2014: Carmelo Anthony Scores Franchise-Record 62 vs. Charlotte

By 2016 Carmelo had established himself as the best Olympic basketball player the U.S.A. has ever featured. In his third Olympiad, in 2012 -- on his way to a record-breaking fourth -- the Knicks superstar set an American record by scoring 37 points against Nigeria, a game in which he shot 10 for 12 from behind the three-point arc.

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#NYK70 | 2012: Carmelo Anthony Scores an American Olympic Record 37 Points

On their way to an Atlantic Division title-winning season, the gunning Knicks set a then-NBA record with 891 made three-pointers, including a franchise-tying 20 made threes in an April game against the Washington Wizards.

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#NYK70 | 2013: Team Sets New NBA Record, 891 Three-Point Shots Made

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Carmelo Anthony lived there until the age of eight, when his family moved to Baltimore. After winning an NCAA championship with Syracuse and playing more than seven seasons in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, the prolific scoring machine finally came home to New York. Just before the 2011 trade deadline, Anthony and Chauncey Billups joined the Knicks in a multi-player, three-team trade. Anthony had worn number 12 with the Nuggets; given the fact that the number was already retired not once but twice with the Knicks (for Dick McGuire and Earl Monroe), the Knicks’ new leader chose number 7.

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#NYK70 | 2011: Knicks Acquire Four-Time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony

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Carmelo Anthony and Team USA Captures Gold in Rio

The battle for the gold is underway in Rio as the men’s basketball teams have completed the preliminary round.  Let’s take a look at the results and schedule for members of the New York Knicks representing their countries in Brazil.

Carmelo Anthony - USA Previous Outing:Despite falling behind by 10 points, Team USA reversed the course of action by blasting Argentina on a 20-0 run in the first half.  The Americans defense came to life and the 105-78 win propelled the squad to the semifinals.  Anthony registered seven points, five boards, and two assists in 13 minutes.  

Next Up:Team USA advanced to the semifinals where it will face Spain in a rematch of the 2012 gold medal game in London.  Tipoff set for 2:30 PM EDT on Friday.

Willy Hermangomez - SpainPrevious Outing:Spain captured its fourth straight victory on Wednesday afternoon by toppling France 92-67.  The Spaniards slow start in the preliminary round seems to be a distant memory as the squad enters the semifinals for the third time in a row.  Hermangomez turned in his best performance of the Olympics by posting 16 points and five rebounds in just 17 minutes of court time. 

Next Up:Spain meets Team USA on Friday at 2:30 PM EDT.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas – LithuaniaPrevious Outing:Kuzminskas played a team-high 30 minutes in the 90-64 defeat to Australia on Wednesday morning.  The small forward was regulated to six points but he managed to grab six boards in the final Olympic game for Lithuania in 2016.  The experience in Rio for Kuzminskas was positive, considering he averaged 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.  He also hit 53.2 percent from the floor in six outings. 

Next Up:The timetable is unclear for the remainder of the summer and when Kuzminskas will make the trek to New York and begin his career with the Knicks.  It will be interesting to see if his game will translate at the NBA level and how his athleticism from the wing spot can provide New York with some depth on the bench.