All About Sports

Full Name: Carmelo Kyan Anthony
Nicknames: "Melo" and "Melo Man"
Position: Small Forward
Jersey Number: 15
Birth date: May 29, 1984
Place of Birth:  New York, NY, USA
Plays: Right-handed
Teams: Denver Nuggets (2003-04 / present)
Complete NBA Seasons: 5

Carmelo Anthony was born May 29, 1984 in New York City. His father, whom Carmelo was named after, died when he was two. Anthony started playing basketball with his older brothers when he was seven and he soon made a name for himself in Brooklyn youth b-ball games. His older sister, Michelle, and her friends formed a cheer team and made up cheers for Carmelo. When Carmelo Anthony was eight, the family moved to Baltimore, Maryland and he started winning awards for his play at local recreation centers.

Anthony, a forward, was selected with the third overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. In his rookie year he started in all 82 regular-season games, posting an average of 36.5 minutes playing time per game. He averaged 21 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game that season. He helped lead the Nuggets to 43 wins, more than doubling their win record from the previous season and earning the team a spot in the play-offs. Anthony's rookie season was considered to be second only to that of Cleveland Cavaliers' forward LeBron James.