George Karl reverses controversial stance on Carmelo Anthony's #15 jersey with Nuggets
Carmelo Anthony is used to dealing with detractors. The Olympic gold medalist was often criticized for his lack of playoff success or lesser playmaking. The pure scorer is a Hall of Famer even if haters disagree. Chief among those vocal critics was Anthony’s old coach, George Karl. The two were together on the Denver Nuggets from 2004-10.
Hall of Famer Coach Karl often threw shade at his former player after the two retired, repeatedly supporting current Nuggets star Nikola Jokic as the best player to ever wear No. 15 in Denver history. This is despite Anthony also wearing No. 15 when he was on the Nuggets.
Karl has even tagged Anthony in his subtle slights while supporting Jokic. This tweet shows a time Karl called Jokic the best No. 15 in Nuggets history while also throwing some shade at Anthony.
Karl may now be walking that stance back. He told Brandon “Scoop B” Robins that he would actually have no issue if Jokic and Anthony were honored by the Nuggets. He thinks both of their jerseys can hang in the rafters of the Denver arena.
“Two No. 15s up there wouldn’t bother me one bit,” Karl said.
Anthony did not comment on the quote. It might not matter, as Anthony may not be honored as a Nugget, having frequently been seen at New York Knicks games and supporting them during the playoffs.
Carmelo Anthony gives a hot take on Anthony Edwards
Carmelo Anthony may not be in the NBA anymore but he wants everyone to know how he would respond to trash talk from some of the younger stars in the game. Anthony Edwards drew headlines after talking trash to Kevin Durant’s face when his Minnesota Timberwolves swept Durant and the Phoenix Suns out of the playoffs.
Anthony said he would not entertain any of the smack talk from Edwards if he was on the Suns. He commented during an appearance on Evan Turner’s podcast, “Point Forward.”
“I would’ve been like, ‘This n***a buggin'! I don’t want to k*ll this lil n***a’”," Carmelo Anthony said. "I would have been out for blood in a competitive way."
Carmelo Anthony thought the Suns did not return Edward’s energy with enough competitive spirit. He believed the veterans in the league were not respected by the younger players in the same way. Young players like Edwards want to take the top of the league and Anthony believes he would have fought back more on the floor if he was still in the NBA.