Carmelo Anthony's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Carmelo Anthony. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

Carmelo Anthony is a retired American professional basketball player. A ten-time NBA All-Star and six-time All-NBA Team selection, he played 19 seasons in the NBA. Anthony led Syracuse University to a national championship in 2003, earning the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Widely considered one of the NBA's premier scorers, his career is marked by his offensive prowess and achievements at both the collegiate and professional levels.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1985: Alex English's Scoring Record

In 1985, Alex English had 79 points in the first two games of the season.

1988: Alex English's Scoring Record

In 1988, Alex English had 74 points in the first two games of the season.

1989: David Robinson Led Playoff Team in Scoring

Carmelo Anthony became the first NBA rookie to lead a playoff team in scoring since David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs during the 1989–90 season.

1990: Kenny Anderson held US scoring record

In 1990, Kenny Anderson held the U.S. scoring record in a FIBA game with 34 points. Carmelo Anthony broke this record on August 23, 2006, by scoring 35 points.

December 21, 2000: Bryant's .769 Field Goal Percentage

On December 21, 2000, Kobe Bryant achieved a .769 field goal percentage on a 20-of-26 shooting effort in a victory against the Houston Rockets.

2000: Oak Hill Academy Championship

Oak Hill Academy won the USA Today 2000–01 high school championship.

2001: Baltimore Sun's Metro Player of the Year

In 2001, Carmelo Anthony was named The Baltimore Sun's metro player of the year, as well as Baltimore Catholic League player of the year.

2002: McDonald's All-American Game

In 2002, Carmelo Anthony played in the McDonald's All-American Game, scoring 19 points and winning the Sprite Slam Jam dunk contest. He played alongside future New York Knicks teammates Raymond Felton and Amar'e Stoudemire.

2003: NCAA Tournament Title

In 2003, Carmelo Anthony helped guide the Syracuse Orangemen to their first ever NCAA tournament title.

2003: National Championship and Most Outstanding Player

In 2003, Carmelo Anthony, as a freshman playing college basketball for the Syracuse Orange, won a national championship and was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

February 9, 2004: Reaching 1,000 Career Points

On February 9, 2004, Carmelo Anthony became the third-youngest player to reach 1,000 career points in NBA history, scoring 20 points against the Memphis Grizzlies.

March 10, 2004: NBA Player of the Week Award

Carmelo Anthony was named NBA Player of the Week from March 10, 2004 – March 14, 2004.

March 14, 2004: NBA Player of the Week Award

Carmelo Anthony was named NBA Player of the Week from March 10, 2004 – March 14, 2004.

March 30, 2004: Denver Nuggets Rookie Scoring Record

On March 30, 2004, Carmelo Anthony scored 41 points against the Seattle SuperSonics, setting a new Denver Nuggets franchise record for most points in a game by a rookie.

April 6, 2004: NBA Player of the Week Award

Carmelo Anthony was named NBA Player of the Week from April 6, 2004 – April 10, 2004.

April 10, 2004: NBA Player of the Week Award

Carmelo Anthony was named NBA Player of the Week from April 6, 2004 – April 10, 2004.

December 4, 2004: Reaching 2,000 Career Points

On December 4, 2004, Carmelo Anthony became the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career points in a game versus the Miami Heat.

2004: Olympic Bronze Medal

In 2004, Carmelo Anthony won a bronze medal with the US national team at the Olympics.

2004: Won bronze medal at the Olympics

In 2004, Carmelo Anthony, along with fellow 2003 draftees LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, was chosen as a member of the USA Olympic basketball team that won the bronze medal. Anthony averaged 2.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 6.8 minutes of playing time in seven games.

November 23, 2005: 1,000th Career Rebound

On November 23, 2005, while playing against the Detroit Pistons, Carmelo Anthony achieved his 1,000th career rebound.

2005: Clutch Performer

In 2005, Carmelo Anthony was recognized as a premier clutch performer in the NBA, making five game-winning shots in the last five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime.

2005: Rookie Challenge MVP

In 2005, in front of his home fans of Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 31 points in the Got Milk? Rookie Challenge, becoming the MVP of the game.

January 16, 2006: Named USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year

On January 16, 2006, Carmelo Anthony was chosen as the USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year following his performance at the FIBA World Championship.

March 13, 2006: Player of the Week

Carmelo Anthony earned NBA Player of the Week honors for the period of March 13, 2006 to March 19, 2006.

March 17, 2006: 5,000 Career Points

On March 17, 2006, in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Carmelo Anthony surpassed 5,000 career points, becoming the second-youngest player to reach this milestone behind LeBron James.

March 19, 2006: Player of the Week

Carmelo Anthony earned NBA Player of the Week honors for the period of March 13, 2006 to March 19, 2006.

August 23, 2006: Set U.S. scoring record in FIBA game

On August 23, 2006, Carmelo Anthony set the U.S. scoring record in a game with 35 points against Italy in the FIBA World Championship. The previous record was 34 points, set by Kenny Anderson in 1990.

2006: Listed in Giving Back 30 List

In 2006, Carmelo Anthony was listed as number eight in "The Giving Back 30 List of Largest Charitable Donations by Celebrities" for charitable contributions totaling $4,282,000.

January 24, 2008: Second NBA All-Star Game

On January 24, 2008, Carmelo Anthony was named to his second consecutive NBA All-Star Game and his first as a starter, leading vote-getters among Western Conference forwards with 1,723,701 votes.

December 10, 2008: Ties NBA Record for Points in a Quarter

On December 10, 2008, during a home game win against the Timberwolves, Carmelo Anthony tied George Gervin's NBA record for the most points scored in one quarter by scoring 33 points in the third quarter.

2008: Professional Athlete of the Year

In 2008, Carmelo Anthony was selected as the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame's professional athlete of the year.

2008: Olympic Gold Medal

In 2008, Carmelo Anthony won a gold medal as part of the US Olympic team.

2008: Won gold medal at the Beijing Summer Olympics

In 2008, Carmelo Anthony won a gold medal at the Beijing Summer Olympics as a member of Team USA, alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd, among others. In the gold medal game, the United States defeated the 2006 World Champion Spain.

January 2009: Colorado Sports Hall of Fame Selection

In January 2009, Carmelo Anthony was selected as the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame's professional athlete of the year for 2008.

January 30, 2009: Return from Injury

On January 30, 2009, Carmelo Anthony returned to the Nuggets starting lineup after recovering from a broken bone in his hand. He scored 19 points in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats.

April 14, 2009: Induction Banquet Headliner

On April 14, 2009, Carmelo Anthony and Henry Cejudo were chosen as the special award headliners for the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet.

April 2009: ESPN RISE All-Decade Team

In April 2009, Carmelo Anthony was named to the ESPN RISE's all-decade team.

April 29, 2009: First Playoff Series Win

On April 29, 2009, Carmelo Anthony secured his first playoff series win as the Nuggets defeated the New Orleans Hornets at home with a score of 107-86. Anthony scored a playoff career-high of 34 points and had four steals.

January 21, 2010: Named All-Star Starter

On January 21, 2010, Carmelo Anthony was named a starter for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, leading Western Conference forwards in votes.

March 26, 2010: Game-Winning Shot Against Raptors

On March 26, 2010, Carmelo Anthony made a game-winning shot at the buzzer against the Toronto Raptors.

November 15, 2010: Career-High Rebounds

On November 15, 2010, Carmelo Anthony recorded 20 points and a career-high 22 rebounds in a game against the Phoenix Suns, marking his first 20-20 game.

November 26, 2010: Game-Winning Shot Against Bulls

On November 26, 2010, Carmelo Anthony hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer against the Chicago Bulls.

January 2012: Greatest McDonald's All-Americans Honoree

In January 2012, Carmelo Anthony was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald's All-Americans.

December 2, 2012: Eastern Conference Player of the Week

On December 2, 2012, Carmelo Anthony's performance was recognized as he concluded the week, which led to him being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week on December 3, 2012.

December 3, 2012: Eastern Conference Player of the Week

On December 3, 2012, Carmelo Anthony was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the period of November 26 to December 2, 2012.

2012: Olympic Gold Medal

In 2012, Carmelo Anthony secured another gold medal with the US Olympic team.

January 7, 2013: Second Player of the Week Award

On January 7, 2013, Carmelo Anthony received his second Player of the Week award for games played from December 31, 2012, to January 6, 2013. During that time, he led the team to a 2–1 record, tallying a league-best 36.0 points per game.

January 30, 2013: Knicks' Team-Record

On January 30, 2013, in a game against the Orlando Magic, Carmelo Anthony set the Knicks' team-record with 30 straight 20-point games, breaking the old record set by Richie Guerin (29 games).

April 2, 2013: Ties Career High with 50 Points

On April 2, 2013, Carmelo Anthony tied his career high by scoring 50 points in a 102–90 win over the Miami Heat and became the first player in NBA history to record 50+ points with no baskets in the paint.

April 8, 2013: Eastern Conference Player of the Week

On April 8, 2013, Carmelo Anthony was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the period April 1–7, 2013, after leading the Knicks to a 4–0 record and averaging 41.8 points per game.

April 11, 2013: Knicks' Winning Streak Ends

On April 11, 2013, the Knicks' 13-game winning streak ended with a loss to the Bulls. Despite the loss, Anthony scored 36 points on top of a season-high 19 rebounds and set a franchise record with six straight games with at least 35 points.

April 15, 2013: Eastern Conference Player of the Week

On April 15, 2013, Carmelo Anthony won his second straight Eastern Conference Player of the Week award for games played from April 8 to 15, 2013. He also became the 2013 NBA scoring champion with 28.7 points per game.

May 23, 2013: All-NBA Second Team Selection

On May 23, 2013, Carmelo Anthony was named to the All-NBA Second Team, marking the second time in his career he received this honor.

January 24, 2014: Career-High Scoring Game

On January 24, 2014, Carmelo Anthony scored a career-high 62 points against the Charlotte Bobcats, setting a Knicks' single-game scoring record and a Madison Square Garden single-game scoring record.

March 10, 2014: Eastern Conference Player of the Week

On March 10, 2014, Carmelo Anthony won his second Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played March 3–9, after he averaged 29.0 points per game, while the Knicks went 3–1.

January 20, 2016: Passing Larry Bird in Career Points

On January 20, 2016, in the Knicks' 118–111 overtime win against the Jazz, Carmelo Anthony recorded 30 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, while passing Larry Bird for 31st place in career points scored.

March 9, 2016: Passing Clyde Drexler in Career Scoring

On March 9, 2016, in the team's 128–97 victory against the Phoenix Suns, Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points with 7 rebounds as he passed Clyde Drexler in the career scoring list, moving up to No. 29.

April 2016: US Olympic Team Leader

As of April 2016, Carmelo Anthony was the US Olympic team's all-time leader in points, rebounds, and games played.

December 9, 2016: Eclipse 23,000 Point Mark

On December 9, 2016, in a game against the Sacramento Kings, Carmelo Anthony became the fifth active player to eclipse the 23,000 point mark and the 29th player in NBA history to reach the scoring milestone.

December 25, 2016: Passing Elgin Baylor on Christmas Day

On December 25, 2016, in a Christmas Day game against the Boston Celtics, Carmelo Anthony moved past Elgin Baylor into 28th place on the NBA career scoring list when he scored 29 points, upping his total to 23,156 compared to Baylor's 23,149.

2016: Won third Olympic gold medal

In 2016, Carmelo Anthony played in his fourth straight Olympics, a record for a US male basketball player, and won his third gold medal with Team USA, who beat Serbia 96-66 in the championship game. He became the USA's all-time leader in rebounds, scoring, and games played in the Olympics and was named co-USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.

January 11, 2017: Passing Robert Parish in Career Scoring

On January 11, 2017, in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points to move past Robert Parish into 26th place in the NBA career scoring ladder.

January 19, 2017: Knicks Record for Points in a Quarter

On January 19, 2017, Carmelo Anthony scored a Knicks-record 25 points in the second quarter, breaking the old record of 24 points shared by Willis Reed and Allan Houston.

February 12, 2017: Passing Charles Barkley in Career Scoring

On February 12, 2017, in a game against the San Antonio Spurs, Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 25 points to move past Charles Barkley into 25th position in the NBA career scoring list.

February 25, 2017: Last game scoring over 30 points until 2020

On February 25, 2017, Carmelo Anthony, playing for the New York Knicks, had his last game scoring over 30 points until February 23, 2020, when he scored 32 points against the Detroit Pistons.

March 12, 2017: 10,000 Points for Two Franchises

On March 12, 2017, in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Carmelo Anthony became only the third player to score 10,000 points for two franchises.

November 9, 2017: Passed Allen Iverson on NBA all-time scoring list

On November 9, 2017, Carmelo Anthony surpassed Allen Iverson on the NBA all-time scoring list, moving into 24th place. Anthony only needed 12 points to pass Iverson and he finished the game with 28 points.

November 26, 2017: Passed Ray Allen on NBA all-time scoring list

On November 26, 2017, Carmelo Anthony passed Ray Allen on the NBA all-time scoring list, advancing to 23rd place.

December 11, 2017: Passed Vince Carter on NBA all-time scoring list

On December 11, 2017, Carmelo Anthony moved past Vince Carter to take the 22nd spot on the NBA all-time scoring list.

January 27, 2018: Scored 25,000 career points

On January 27, 2018, Carmelo Anthony became the 21st NBA player to reach 25,000 career points. He also had 1,693 playoff points at the time.

March 19, 2018: Passed Reggie Miller on the NBA career scoring ladder

On March 19, 2018, in a 132–125 victory over the Toronto Raptors, Carmelo Anthony scored 15 points, bringing his career total to 25,289, thus surpassing Reggie Miller for 19th place on the NBA career scoring ladder.

2019: Received Maurice Lucas Award

In 2019, Carmelo Anthony received the Maurice Lucas Award, which was presented on August 13, 2020.

January 1, 2020: Scored season-high 26 points against the Knicks

On January 1, 2020, Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 26 points in a 117–93 loss to the New York Knicks.

August 1, 2020: Scored 21 points in the NBA restart game against the Grizzlies

On August 1, 2020, Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points in the Portland Trail Blazers' first game of the NBA restart against the Memphis Grizzlies.

August 10, 2020: Passed John Havlicek and Paul Pierce in the NBA career scoring ladder

On August 10, 2020, in the Trail Blazers' game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Carmelo Anthony scored 20 points, along with 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. With this performance, he surpassed John Havlicek for 16th place and then Paul Pierce for 15th place in the NBA career scoring ladder, reaching a total of 26,411 points.

August 13, 2020: Received the 2019–20 Maurice Lucas Award

On August 13, 2020, just before the Portland Trail Blazers' last game in the NBA restart against the Brooklyn Nets, Carmelo Anthony was named the recipient of the 2019–20 Maurice Lucas Award.

January 1, 2021: Moved past Tim Duncan on the NBA career scoring list

On January 1, 2021, in the first game of Portland's back-to-back against the Golden State Warriors, Carmelo Anthony scored a season-high 18 points, moving past Tim Duncan into 14th place on the NBA career scoring list.

2021: NBA 75th Anniversary Team Selection

In 2021, Carmelo Anthony was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.

January 28, 2022: Reached 28,000 career points

On January 28, 2022, Carmelo Anthony scored 19 points in a 117–114 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, becoming the 9th player in NBA history to reach 28,000 points.