Carmelo Anthony was a legitimate superstar during the New York Knicks era. Even legendary head coach Phil Jackson believed him enough to compare him to two of the biggest stars in league history.
As the 11-time champion head coach, Phil Jackson is one of the most respected hearts in NBA history. He built a system that won 11 championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
After finishing his head coaching role with the Lakers, Jackson became an executive with the New York Knicks in 2014. As the Knicks president, Jackson was influential and had a hard time reaching the playoffs.
Despite those struggles, he admitted that Carmelo Anthony was his best player. Anthony was the basis of the Knicks system, leading to comparisons with several big names in Jackson’s past.
In the 2010s, Anthony was already one of the most talented players in the league. His move towards the Knicks was huge as it brought a superstar to the big apple. The Knicks have been suffering for a long time without that cornerstone, and Anthony was all the bits of that superstar.
His stint with the Knicks established Anthony as the team’s biggest star. He was a great offensive player who always had a coach to build a coach around him. Even Jackson, who came as an executive, recognized Anthony’s skill set.
They may have suffered friction at the end of Jackson’s tenure, but Anthony has always been a respected figure for his courtroom skills. He was talented enough for Jackson to compare his favourite player Michael Jordan and his other cornerstone Kobe Bryant.
“He can play that role played by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, which is the perfect place for him to be in that isolated position on the weak side, because it’s an overloaded attack and there’s always a weak guy who’s in the advantage when the ball is swung around.
“In many cases, Carmelo wants to hold the ball for a long time. There’s a rule. Holding a pass for two seconds will benefit your defense. So he has a bit of a tendency to hold the ball for three, four, five seconds.
“That’s one of the things we work for. But he adapts to it and he knows what it can do and is happy to see its success.”
In his career, Anthony was not the best player in the league. He had to compete with Bryant and LeBron James, but he was always competing with them. Anthony solidified himself as one of the best players in the league in an offensive game.
Anthony was a natural scorer who could take over the game. That’s why he’s been well over 28,000 points in his career. Unfortunately, Anthony couldn’t win the championship like the other superstars, but he was still a great player.
That’s why he became inducted into the 2025 Nice Miss Basketball Hall of Fame. The 10-time NBA All-Stars were such a great player that he was often the best scorer when everyone played together for Team USA.
With a team with multiple superstars, Anthony stood out and became synonymous with the national team. Kevin Durant ultimately overtook him as Team USA’s main goalscorer, but Anthony continued to stand out with a team full of stars. Jackson saw Anthony’s skill set and compared him to the greatest man of all time.