Let's Stop The Debate Now: Carmelo Anthony Is Going To Be In The Naismith Hall Of Fame

Alright, so this was floating around today on Twitter and it’s really been a debate for a couple of years now. However, there is no debate. Carmelo Anthony is a no-doubt Hall of Famer and very well may be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I’m not even a Carmelo stan or anything like that. It’s just a fact.

Yes, he is not a good player now, but that doesn’t erase how you get into the Hall of Fame. For those who say he just scored points, how is that different than say Reggie Miller? Reggie was an elite shooter and that was really it when it came to his Hall of Fame debate. Just using Reggie as a baseline here. Here’s his notable stats:

5x All Star, 3x All-NBA Third Team, USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2002), 50-40-90 club (1994), 20th in career points, 2nd in career threes, Third Team All-American and 1 gold medal. That’s a pretty good resume.

Carmelo: 10x All-Star, 2x All-NBA 2nd team, 4x All NBA Third Team, NBA Scoring Champ (2013), Top-20 scorer in NBA history, 38th in career threes NCAA Champion, Final Four MOP, 2nd Team All-American and 3 gold medals.

Carmelo’s resume is better than Reggie, who is in the Hall of Fame. Again, this is just a baseline to show someone who is in the Hall of Fame vs Carmelo’s career. Yes, he was part of a horrendous trade and is on the way downside of his career, but the fact is he’s had a damn good basketball life.

Here’s the other important thing to remember. This is the Basketball Hall of Fame. It’s not just the NBA, it’s not just college, etc. What Carmelo did at Syracuse and with Team USA matters. So let’s just stop the debate. You can hate the player Carmelo, especially now. But, you can’t argue that he won’t be in Springfield, Mass. The only argument is whether or not he’s there when he’s immediately eligible.