Uncasville, Conn. – The 2003 NCAA championship, the biggest moment in Syracuse basketball history, is also the achievement that changed Carmelo Anthony’s life.
“That was the moment that changed everything,’’ Anthony said Friday during an interview with a gathering of reporters one day prior to his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Anthony, a Syracuse icon for leading the Orange to the national championship during his one and only year at SU, pointed to that season as the foundation for the Hall of Fame that would follow.
The 19-year NBA career, the 10 All-Star Game appearances, the four U.S. Olympic teams and the three gold medals. All of that started with his one memorable season with the Orange.
“That championship is the reason why I’m here today,’’ Anthony said. “When you talk about winning a championship in college and being able to have a foundation to start off with, that was the foundation. The championship was my foundation coming into the NBA.
“I had that,” he continued, “so the only thing for me was I had to build on top of that. Be consistent, become a great pro, work out, train, lock in, commit to the game of basketball. Oh, and try to win a championship. Like all of that started from winning that championship in college.
“So I always would say that was the moment that changed everything.’’
The importance Anthony placed on his one year at Syracuse is noteworthy because he will be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame not once, but twice this weekend.
In addition to his individual honor, Anthony was also a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, also known as the Redeem Team, that is being recognized in this year’s induction class.
Again, he pointed to his year at Syracuse as the foundation.
“That’s where it started,’’ Anthony said. “That’s the beginning. That’s where they opened the Carrier Dome up to me. They gave me the ball and told me to go. The very beginning of why I’m sitting here today.’’
Clad in a white short-sleeved shirt with a stylish blue jacket and pants, topped with a New York Yankees baseball cap and his signature tinted sunglasses, Anthony spoke for almost 30 minutes.
He touched on a variety of subjects including his upbringing in Baltimore, his appreciation for his late father’s Puerto Rican heritage, how he’s built a personal empire in his post-basketball career and his son, Kiyan’s, decision to his follow in his footsteps and play for Syracuse.
Anthony is following in some big footsteps himself this weekend. He is just the third former Syracuse player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player after Vic Hanson and Dave Bing. (Former SU coach (and player) Jim Boeheim was inducted into the Hall as a coach in 2005.)
When asked about continuing a Syracuse legacy, Anthony invoked the name of another Syracuse legend – football Hall of Famer Jim Brown.
“I’m just adding on to the greats that came before me,’’ Anthony said. “The Jim Browns of the ‘Cuse.”
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