“You guys played a major part in my career as well. So, thank you,” just a few days ago, Carmelo Anthony expressed appreciation for the media following his Hall of Fame honor. He praised them for their scrutinizing eyes and the tough questions following him throughout his career, which he believes pushed him to do better. He even expressed gratitude for the crucial role they played in his career. But was it sincere, or was there a hint of sarcasm? Did he truly have deep respect for the media? Because in his latest podcast, Melo shared a story that seemed to contradict his initial claims.
He is all set to be honored with the Naismith Hall of Fame induction for his contributions to the sport. After his professional career ended, he transitioned into media, launching his own podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn, where he shares candid takes on the sport and its players. And fans are loving it. Dwyane Wade and many others have made appearances on the show. Wade has his podcast and great stints with TNT and NBC. Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have successfully embraced the roles of analysts. The two veterans analysts have been working with TNT for more than a decade and are joining ESPN in the next season.
Interestingl,y in the latest episode, Melo admitted that he never imagined he’d work in the media. The reason is as he said, “I never thought I would be speaking publicly about the game. I always told myself I would never get on TV. I would never do that. Because it was just (the) lack of respect that I had for people, former players that was getting on TV critiquing the game doing the same s–t they doing now,” he said.
He was seemingly upset over the unfair or overly critical narratives from the media. Back when Kyrie Irving raised the issue, he took it to his podcast as well, agreeing that he isn’t fond of this particular narrative either. But, it seems he began to respect this field with time. Moreover, he was also looking to make more impact. And the media world is one way. “But it’s like, come on, let’s get to legacy moments like let’s get longevity in the business,” he said about why he got into the field.
And now that he’s made a successful transition into the broadcasting world, which is worth nearly $2.8 trillion(as per PWC), he is quite good at it. We all know how impactful media can be. Not to forget, he recently landed a job at NBC.
Carmelo Anthony will join the NBC family as an analyst
As per The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, the former Lakers star will be joining NBC with the NBA kicking off its new 11-year, $76 billion broadcast deal. The deal will also include ABC/ESPN and Amazon Prime Video. While Melo took on the job, there’s one particular role he doesn’t wish to take on. He doesn’t have much interest in play-by-play commentary.
Previously, in an interview with Boardroom, he said, “Play by play is tough…I never thought I would do a podcast right! And sitting at a desk and doing play-by-play is not my DNA.” The reason for his disinterest is simple. “Having fresh new blood in there to talk the game of basketball, talk the game of basketball in different ways and different varieties as opposed to just sitting up there at the desk and everybody’s kind of giving their pain under two minutes and like that’s not the way that the game need to be told anymore,” the New York Knicks legend added.
The former NBA player opened up about how, as an analyst, he wants to focus on the player’s mindset during the games more than anything else. Now, with a new role for NBC, he will be able to undertake what he loves the most.
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