Carmelo Anthony was out of the NBA for over a year, and there were times that he was unsure if he would ever play in an NBA game again. However, despite the uncertainty surrounding his career, Anthony remain focused, motivated, and in the gym, and his dedication ultimately paid off, as he is now back in the league and starting for the Portland Trail Blazers. While discussing his long road back to the court, Anthony said that he hopes his perseverance serves as motivation for others.
“How I’m able to motivate people. I think overall the way that I stayed strong in the fight,” Anthony said, via The Undefeated. “I stayed there … Burning and all, I stayed there. I never wavered. I stayed strong and I hope that is motivation for everyone else.”
Anthony still doesn’t understand why it took so long for him to get another shot with a different team after he flamed out with the Houston Rockets last season, but he’s done trying to figure it out and is now just appreciative of the new opportunity in front of him.
“It still doesn’t make sense to me, but I got to a point where I got some clarity with me and what I want and what my goals are,” Anthony said. “As far as anything else making sense, I’m past that. I’m done racking my brain. I spent half a year, almost a year thinking about that and trying to figure out why and what and when it’s going to happen. I’m past that at this point.
“In life a lot of times we don’t get second chances. This is a second chance for me. This is almost a new beginning for me and I only can look forward from here. I can’t think about what happened over the past couple years.. I have to look forward and just make this a new experience. Make it fun.”
Being on the outside looking in for so long was obviously a humbling experience for Anthony, who clearly wasn’t ready to walk away from the game. Will this opportunity in Portland work out better than his stays in Houston or Oklahoma City? Only time will tell. But it’s always nice to see a player get the chance to go out on his own terms, especially a player that has provided us with as many highlights over the yeas as Anthony has.
