Carmelo Anthony has proven that his superstar talent goes beyond the court. He stole the show at the Hall of Fame ceremony with a passionate speech.
As per Syracuse.com, Carmelo Anthony was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday (Sept. 6) at the Symphony Hall in Springfield, Mass. Wearing a two-piece black suit, the former New York Knick took the stage as Syracuse University’s “Let’s Go Orange” chant echoed in the venue. Upon going to the podium, he made it clear that the moment, which he worked for for decades, was just his. “Tonight, I don’t just step into the Hall of Fame,” said Anthony. “I carry with me the echoes of every voice that ever told me I couldn’t. I walk with the shadows of every alley, every cracked court, every empty plate. I stand for the dreamers, the doubted, the dismissed, for every soul trapped in a place where I broke free from.”
Carmelo Anthony also spoke on his family and growing up in Brooklyn. “We didn’t have much, but we had a dream,” he explained. “And if you were lucky, we had someone telling you not to give up on it. More often, what we heard was, ‘That ain’t for you, don’t aim too high, ‘Melo stay in your lane.’” He went on to add that “when you grew up in the shadows, you either get swallowed up by them or you learn how to shine away.”
Carmelo Anthony became visibly emotional when speaking on his late father. “To my father, Carmelo Iriarte, Boriqua, you left this world too soon, but you never left me. Your name is my name. Your spirit walks with me and every step I take. You were a poet, an activist, a fighter. You taught me without even knowing that words matter,” Melo said. “Even in your absence, you gave me strength. And in silence, you gave me purpose. And though I didn’t get to grow with you, I grew cause of you.”
The class of 2025 also included Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, Maya Moore and the 2008 USA Basketball Men’s National Team. You can see Carmelo Anthony’s Hall Of Fame speech below.
