Carmelo Anthony, who returned to the NBA last week and looks rather productive following a 12-month hiatus, has made one thing clear.
“This ain’t a damn farewell tour,” Anthony said, via Shams Charania of The Athletic. “My love for the game don’t stop. I don’t know where this ‘farewell tour’ thing came from. I’ve never talked about a farewell tour.”
Anthony has played in four contests since joining the Trail Blazers on a non-guaranteed, one-year contract last Tuesday. He’s coming off an impressive performance after dropping a game-high 25 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday, which helped show the value he still brings to an NBA roster.
“I know what I can do and I believe in myself,” Anthony said, via The Athletic. “When a farewell tour comes, it comes. That’s not something I think about. I’m not thinking about retiring right now. I had [thought about it] during this past stretch over the summer. But ain’t no retiring in my mind. I believe in what I have left.”
Teams had been reluctant to sign Anthony before the Blazers picked him up. The 10-time All-Star was shut down, traded and waived last season, a series of events that he called an “embarrassment.”
In the interview with Charania, Anthony also stated that he never asked good friends LeBron James or Dwyane Wade to assist him in joining a franchise.
“As far as friendships, I would never put business along with friendships,” Anthony said. “I would never do that. I would never reach out to a friend and say, ‘I need this. Can you do this for me?’ when it pertains to a situation that may not be in their control.”
