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Carmelo learned brutal truth about the NBA by watching Iverson's downfall: "I had to take the bullets"
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- Carmelo learned brutal truth about the NBA by watching Iverson's downfall: "I had to take the bullets"
It has been around a month and a half since Chris Paul last appeared in a game for the Los Angeles Clippers after the franchise decided to send him home, either in preparation for an eventual trade or a potential roster cut. Mind you, this is the same franchise that Paul helped put back on the NBA map during the prime years of his career. It is, without question, an ugly chapter in the story of one of the greatest point guards the league has ever seen, and the noise surrounding the situation has yet to die down.
Carmelo Anthony , the iconic scorer who has in recent years become an analyst, shared his two cents about the situation, linking it to the similar way his own Hall of Fame career came to an end. However, Melo also had the chance to watch another legend fade in the same manner long before it happened to him, and he learned from it while he was still at the peak of his career.
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Melo saw A.I.'s decline from the front row
Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony shared a locker room in Denver starting in late 2006. At the time, Iverson was already an established superstar, an MVP and a player who had carried a team to the NBA Finals. Melo, on the other hand, was entering his prime in the big boys league, ready to dominate.
On paper, it was supposed to be one of the most exciting offensive pairings in the league. Plenty of scoring and firepower, but very little defense, if any. And for about two seasons, that was exactly what it was, but without much postseason success.
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Less than two years later, Iverson was traded again, and the slow decline of his iconic career began. Anthony, who was close with A.I. at the time, witnessed firsthand how quickly the career of a generational player could unravel. Even though Melo initially believed he would never face a similar fate, he eventually realized that very few players are immune to it.
"I learned from watching A.I. When A.I. left me and went to Detroit. Then he went to Memphis. And he said, 'You didn't promise me to play behind Richard Jefferson…' Then when he got to Memphis, they tell him, 'Yo, you gotta come off the bench behind a rookie at the time, Mike Conley,'" Melo recalled in the recent episode of the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast.
"I was like, man, that ain't never gonna happen to me. I'm never gonna do it, or go through it that way… Man, if this sh-t happened to him, it can happen to me. Whatever you do, don't fight it. The truth always wins. It's always going to settle," the retired scorer added. "So, I had to take the bullets… Let me figure it out. And when I'm ready to talk, I'll come to you, and you'll understand my story," the retired forward added.
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All legendary careers come to an end
Iverson went from being an All-Star and a 26-plus point-per-game scorer with the Nuggets and previously with the Philadelphia 76ers to struggling to find his footing with the Pistons and later the Memphis Grizzlies .
Disagreements about coming off the bench became more frequent until Iverson ultimately took an indefinite leave of absence and retired. He would later return briefly to finish his career with the Sixers, but the damage was already done.
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While not exactly the same situation, Anthony also struggled to accept that his own career was nearing its end. After becoming a living icon with the Nuggets and later the New York Knicks , as the bona fide superstar and offensive focal point, Melo found himself bouncing from team to team during the final years of his career.
Watching Iverson's example helped him understand that even the biggest legends are not immune to how the league operates. And now, it seems CP3 has entered that same phase of his career, where legends are no longer just legends, but expendable assets for franchises.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
