← Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin
Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin
Carmelo Anthony on Life After the NBA, His Son’s Future, and College Basketball
00:36:30
In this episode of Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin, Carmelo Anthony joins Craig for a wide-ranging conversation about basketball, fatherhood and the forces that shaped his life on and off the court. The NBA Hall of Famer reflects on the losses that shaped him, the moments that changed his path, and the pride he takes in watching his son follow in his footsteps at Syracuse. Carmelo also shares his candid views on the future of college sports, co-parenting, business ventures and the legacy he’s still building beyond the game.
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- [00:00]
Commercial Narrator
By order of the Peaky Blinders Academy award winner Cillian Murphy returns alongside an all star cast including Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth, Sophie Rundle with academy award nominee Barry Keoghan and emmy award winner Stephen Graham. In Netflix's upcoming film Peaky Blinders. The Immortal Man. Tommy Shelby must face his own demons and choose whether to confront his legacy or burn it to the ground. Peaky Blinders the Immortal man is in select theaters March 6th and on Netflix March 20th. March. Rated R. Now at the Home Depot. Receive 12 months special financing and free basic installation on carpet projects with lifeproof. Lifeproof with pet proof technology, home decorators collection and traffic Master carpets bring a new look to your floors or give them a durable surface that stands up to life's tough messes. Get 12 months special financing on installed carpet projects right now at the Home Depot. Offer valid March 12 through March 29, 2026. Exclusions and additional charges may apply for licenses. See homedepot.com licensenumbers.
- [01:06]
Carmelo Anthony
My thing is make it a. It's a, it's a professional league. It's a, you know, it's a, it's a professional league. You're dealing with millions and millions and billions of dollars.
- [01:15]
Craig Melvin
So you think we should just scrap collegiate athletics? We should just stop pretending.
- [01:19]
Carmelo Anthony
We should. We should stop pretending.
- [01:23]
Craig Melvin
Hello there, everyone. Craig Melvin here and welcome to Glass Half Full. They're great players. Then there are great forces. I would contend. Carmelo Anthony, a bit of both. 10 time NBA All Star, 4 time Olympic medalist, oh, by the way, recently inducted into the NBA hall of Fame. It's fascinating when you talk to Tomelo about how it started and how it's going to. Melo, if you were betting, man, you probably wouldn't have bet on the outcome. Grows up on the streets of Baltimore. Dad dies when he's two. Sees family members die as well. And then what does this guy go and do? Well, he becomes one of the greatest to ever play the game. And now he started a new career. He's trying to become one of the greatest to ever talk about the game, too. And we dug into all of it. I hope you enjoy this conversation. All right, Carmelo Anthony, we'd like to start every show with a toast. I've got my half glass full of bourbon here. What would you like to toast to kick off this conversation? What is Carmelo Anthony celebrating right now?
- [02:39]
Carmelo Anthony
Well, I'm back home in Baltimore, man. So, you know, we about to start opening the doors of the free Pratt Library. Enoch Pratt Library. So the house of Mello is here. So that's what we toasted to.
- [02:51]
Craig Melvin
Cheers. To the house of mellow.
- [02:52]
Carmelo Anthony
Cheers, brother.
- [02:53]
Craig Melvin
Are you a glass half full or glass half empty kind of guy?
- [02:57]
Carmelo Anthony
I'm a glass half empty guy. Like, it's, it's in, in a sense it's something, some situations. Sometimes I'm like, man, you know, glass is half full, man. I'm be. But then it's sometimes like you just know things happen and you just know things is so you prepare for the worst, you know, So I always, I have a saying that I prepare for war in a time of peace.
- [03:20]
Craig Melvin
Right.
- [03:21]
Carmelo Anthony
And that allows me to navigate a lot of things that I deal with.
- [03:26]
Craig Melvin
I love that you're back in Baltimore. Love that you're back where it all started. You know, a lot of folks, they achieve the success that you've achieved and they move to LA or they stay in New York or they go overseas. Not you. Why?
- [03:42]
Carmelo Anthony
This is what I know, like Baltimore is what I know is what I feel is what I, you know, I grew up in this and I'm a big part of helping the city of Baltimore kind of rise and get back to that feeling of being renaissance right in history and culture. So for me to grow up in that and be a part of that, it's only right for me to be here, man. I don't, you know, I've traveled the world, I've been all over the world to the best places in the world and the biggest markets in the world, but it's just something about Baltimore City and it, it brings you back and sometimes that's a good thing and it's a bad. Yeah, right. Some people, you love it so much that you don't want to leave. So that could be a good thing and a bad thing.
- [04:26]
Craig Melvin
It is interesting how no matter what you accomplish in life, there is always this draw to your hometown. I'm from Columbia, South Carolina, and every time I go home I'm like, ah, in a lot of places I've done a lot of things, but this is, it just sits right with your spirit,
- [04:44]
Carmelo Anthony
you know, know, there's no, there's no place like home. I, I, I say that and, and, and as I got older, I start to appreciate that a lot more. When, when people just say, man, there's no place like home, man, it's, you going to understand. It's when you get older, when you're younger, you're not trying to hear that. And I'm trying to get about it. But now coming back as you have a, you know, you, you, you, you mature, you have a different perspective on life and perspective on just the way of life. Right. And, and I realized, man, I've been, like I said, I've been everywhere around the world. Like, I want to start bringing that energy and that attention back to Baltimore City.
- [05:20]
Craig Melvin
Yeah, Baltimore needs you. So on this podcast, we, we like to talk about the moments that have shaped us and molded us personally, professionally. Is there for you, is there a moment that you can, you can look back to and you can say, you know what? That's when it really changed for me, for good or for bad?
- [05:43]
Carmelo Anthony
I think the beginning of that, when that changed for me was leaving Baltimore my senior year in high school and going to Oak Hill down in Malthur Wilson, Virginia. That was a turning point for me from a standpoint of my focus, my commitment to just me into the game and to, you know, what my goals and what I'm trying to accomplish at that point. So that was one turning point for me. I thought it was bad going from Baltimore to Oak Hill. I'm not going to mouth to Wilson, Virginia. But then when you get there, you realize, like, what this basketball program is really about. It's a powerhouse and it's really about basketball and developing. So that changed my life. And then as I got throughout my career, it was more, you know, the experiences that I was dealing with and just season after season or day out, you know, day in, day out, and that right there allowed me to reflect, sit back, put things into perspective and really take control of just my life and my career at that point in time.
- [06:47]
Craig Melvin
What about the losses early in life that you experienced? Did those, I mean, I would imagine those affected you. The loss of your father when you were young, the loss of your cousin as well, when you were young. Did those things. Well, how did those things affect you and shape you? Because I'm sure they did.
- [07:07]
Carmelo Anthony
Well, it's twofold. Those things hurt. Anytime you lose a loved one, somebody that's close to you, you know you're going to deal with that grief, but you don't know when the grief is coming back. You don't know when you're going to deal with the grief. You don't know how it's going to show up until you get older, you start working on how to deal and handle with that type of grief. But yes, losing my cousin, losing my dad, losing friends in my neighborhood, losing other family members, it was like everything just came crashing down on me at one time as a, as a young kid. And it's hard to navigate, you know, that mindset and that mentality. And the only thing I knew because of growing up in Baltimore is like, you got to keep pushing, you know, you keep going like, no, people die every day. And it's like, whoa, that's a crazy mentality to have. But you become immune to that, you know, in death. In a sense, we started becoming immune to people dying and death and losing people and waking up one day and somebody's not here. So life just goes on and that. That river just keeps on flowing.
- [08:09]
Craig Melvin
I've. I've said before that. That I think you can be shaped just as much by negative experiences and negative examples. You can be shaped even more positively because of some of those. If that makes any sense, man.
- [08:24]
Carmelo Anthony
And that makes a lot of sense, is absolutely. It's all of those life experiences. Right. And what we have to go through is part of life. We're going to. We're going to lose people. We're going to see kids being raised, we're going to raise the youth, and it's. It's a cycle that happens. So when you understand that part of it, you're able to navigate through the losses a lot differently. But when you 13, when you're 12, 13, 14, you don't know how to navigate those. And. And life is coming at you so fast that you have to. Yes, I lost my dad, lost my cousin, I lost my friend. But now the next day is here, right? And you see everybody moving in that way, and it's again, you look back and like, man, it's sad. You know, it's sad when you lose somebody and people tell you, man, get over it and keep on moving. Life goes on. And those are the hardest words you can hear at that point in time. Life goes on.
- [09:19]
Craig Melvin
That's why when I watched and listened to that hall of Fame induction speech and you gave a shout out to dad, your angel. I was just. I, you know, I don't tear up too much, but I was like, you know, that's.
- [09:34]
Carmelo Anthony
He.
- [09:35]
Craig Melvin
Because it's one thing to lose your father later in life.
- [09:38]
Carmelo Anthony
Yes.
- [09:38]
Craig Melvin
But when you lose your father at 2.
- [09:41]
Carmelo Anthony
Yes.
- [09:41]
Craig Melvin
And you're growing up on the streets of Baltimore and like, you know, statistically, this should have gone another way, but the opposite happens. And then he gets. He got his. He got his flowers in your speech.
- [09:56]
Carmelo Anthony
It was a beautiful moment. For me, it was a full circle moment. Recognizing my dad, you know, it's something that I haven't done throughout the course of my career. I always kept that, like, internal and Always kept that amongst family and those stories and always, because I didn't have them throughout my life and throughout my career and losing them at an early age, I always wanted to garner up as much information about them. And so I went on this path of, like, discovery, of trying to figure out, you know, who I am as a man and then as a person and as an individual and how I think and why I think, the way I, I think and operate, the way I operate, you know, it's, it's, you realize, man, it's, it's something, it's something deeper and it's something bigger. And a lot of that comes from just my dad's will, his fight. You know, he was a, he was a revolutionary. He understood what was going on. He understood, you know, the, the marketplace. He understood the politics. He under what was going on. And, and also he was fighting a greater fight, which was fighting for Puerto Rico. Right? So when you, when you older and you start to understand and realize all of that information and you look at you, mirror that with, with, with, with my own self, then it's like, okay, this is, this is my calling. This is why, this is what I'm meant to do.
- [11:16]
Craig Melvin
More with Carmelo Anthony when we come back.
- [11:22]
Blue Apron / Jenna Fisher & Angela Kinsey Promo Voice
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- [11:27]
Carmelo Anthony
And there it was, that hologram trading card. One of the rarest, the last one I needed for my set.
- [11:32]
Blue Apron / Jenna Fisher & Angela Kinsey Promo Voice
Shiny like the designer handbag of my dreams. One of a kind. Ebay had it and now everyone's asking,
- [11:39]
Carmelo Anthony
ooh, where'd you get your windshield wipers? Ebay has all the parts that fit my car. No more annoying, just beautiful. Millions of finds, each with a story. Ebay things people love now at the Home Depot.
- [11:54]
Commercial Narrator
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- [12:25]
Carmelo Anthony
You can eat smart still fit in your bikini. I ordered blue apron I've been happy ever since they sent pre portioned meals I don't make no measurements. Saute the pancetta then I add the mushrooms large skillet cause you can't have too much room. Garlic pesto tomat. Calabrian chili season a taste order. Blue apron today.
- [12:54]
Craig Melvin
Let's. Let's go back to basketball here for, for a moment and go. Take me from Baltimore to how Carmelo Anthony ended up at Syracuse.
- [13:05]
Carmelo Anthony
Wow. So I was always a big east fan. I love the biggies. I love St. John's was like my school, like, growing up in New York. When I was in Red Hook, my family, uncles, like all the, all the males in my family, they were St. John's you walking up, you walk into projects, it's St. John banners, it's Luke honest sweaters. It's like it's everything that's going on.
- [13:29]
Craig Melvin
Yeah, I remember.
- [13:31]
Carmelo Anthony
And as I'm going to Oak Hill, Syracuse is recruiting me and I'm like, man, listen, I'm committing. I need. I need a birthday present. I know nobody was gonna give me a birthday present on my birthday, so I'm like, I'm get myself a birthday present and I'm gonna commit to Syracuse. When you know, a staple coach and, and coach. Coach Bay. I'm hall of Fame coach. Syracuse. That orange, like, it, it's just. It hits different. The Carrier Dome is different. The rivalry, Syracuse, Georgetown. At the time, it was. I wanted to be a part of something that was greater.
- [14:05]
Craig Melvin
And we do one year at Syracuse and it ends up being the best year still in the history of Syracuse basketball. Had you not won that national championship your freshman year, do you think you would have gone back or were you going to go to the league? No matter what?
- [14:21]
Carmelo Anthony
The league never was in my, like, like in my vision at that point in time. Because I'm going to be honest with you. Like, I told Bayhom that I was coming back to school. And he looked at me like, listen, you better get off. You better get off my campus. Like, I better not see you on my campus again. And he, he said something to me that was special. He said that stuck with me. He said, melo, from a basketball standpoint, you've done in one year what thousands and thousands of athletes try to accomplish. And when he said that, I said, you know what? I didn't did it. I didn't. I didn't accomplish what we set to come to college to accomplish, you know, when it comes to basketball in the sport, I've done it my first time at bat. So you know what, Coach? I'm going to give you your wish to get up off this campus. But I did tell him, coach, if we listen, I know we going to find we lose, I'm coming back, you know, and I was, I was going to come back to school if we'd have lost.
- [15:20]
Craig Melvin
A lot of Syracuse fans are going to hear this and you know, Jim Boehib is beloved, but they're going to be like, damn, that gym. He cost us back to back championships.
- [15:30]
Carmelo Anthony
He was right, though, man. Is he.
- [15:32]
Craig Melvin
No, he was right.
- [15:33]
Carmelo Anthony
He was right.
- [15:34]
Craig Melvin
Especially, especially when you look at the, the college game now and you, you can't even, you can't get a kid to stay on campus a season. If the kid doesn't even like play in five full games, he's ready to hit the portal. It's a, Let me get your take on that. Like, I read an article about the head coach at Sienna now who's basically telling these recruits, hey, I get the game, come here for two years, just come for two years and I, I'll help you get wherever you want to go like that. That, that just, I don't know, it doesn't seem right to me. But you've got a different perspective.
- [16:16]
Carmelo Anthony
We have to adapt. And I think we are in the phase of adapting to how we consume sports, how we consume basketball. This younger generation is part of a system that if you don't like it, go try something else. The freedom of movement is what we're seeing. And to me, it's too much freedom of movement. I think it needs to be tightened up a lot more. I think it needs to be decided, hey, we're going to handle this like a professional league. And because that's, that's what it's coming down to. And it's not going to be until they, you know, they decide the powers that be, to say, hey, okay, we're going to handle this like a professional league. When that's going to take five to seven years, 10 years to figure that out. Right now we're losing, we're losing opportunities to gain that, that the university pride, the fandom, right? And you know, these universities back in the day, you got a chance to see a freshman walk, walk with the freshmen throughout three, four years and see the process and see the journey and see the development. We can't see the development no more. And that's what's, that's the sad part. We don't see the development of these guys and they move around in three, four schools and it's money driven, you know, and, and as much as we fought for wanting, you know, athletes to get paid and, you know, you, you look at the o' Banning brothers who've Been fighting this fight for a long, long time, since tonight, since the 90s. And to finally get it to where we're at right now, I just think we, it's, it's too loose. It's, it's, it's like the Wild west out there. And it is where we have to actually tighten this up or it's going to continue getting, you know, worse and worse. Um, my thing is make it a. It's a, It's a professional league. It's a, you know, it's a, It's a professional league. You dealing with millions and millions and billions of dollars.
- [18:14]
Craig Melvin
So you think we should just scrap collegiate athletics? We should just stop pretending.
- [18:18]
Carmelo Anthony
We should, we should stop pretending. I think we should stop pretending that this is not a professional style league. I think we're holding on to the educational aspect of it, which we should, and which I totally agree. But it's going to come a point in time, over the next years that we're going to have to make a decision. It's going to split. It's going to be education and it's going to be sports and it's, you know, so we, it's coming, and I just want people to kind of embrace themselves for that because it's, it's happening, man, and it's happening at a rapid rate. And schools got to figure it out on the fly. Schools got to adapt. You have to recruit, you know, you know, more often than before. So it's a lot that we have to overcome. But we, we wanted what we wanted and we got it right. So, you know, we wanted the athletes to get paid and the student athletes to get, you know, get paid nil. And it's here and now.
- [19:13]
Craig Melvin
Some are wondering whether we may have overcorrected. So you, you win your championship at Syracuse, you become the most beloved Orangeman to ever play at Syracuse, and then you go out to Denver.
- [19:27]
Carmelo Anthony
Yes.
- [19:29]
Craig Melvin
And what I've always found interesting, you got nuggets. Alex English is a dear friend growing up in Columbia, South Carolina. Like, Alex English was our Michael Jordan. And until Carmelo came along, of course. And so you've got Denver that claims you, but then you've got. You've got New York that claims you. Who do you claim? Like, if you had to claim. And I would assume it would be New York because that's where you, you know, you spent a lot of. A lot of time. But I. Am I wrong?
- [20:05]
Carmelo Anthony
No, you're not wrong. I look at it like this. It's. They all play pivotal parts of My, the Nuggets, the Denver situation, you know, everybody has their own perspective on that situation with me. My, my perspective on that is I was drafted to Denver. I, we changed the colors of that organization. We, you know, we, we changed the skyline of that, of that, of. We built so much. You know, Denver became one of the fastest growing cities in my span while I was there. And it's, it's one of the top cities in the country. Right? So when you talk about all of those things, right? And now you bring in a basketball team where it's a football dominated city, it's a Broncos town, it's an Avalanche town, and you bring in the Denver Nuggets was like the third or fourth kind of professional team there. We was behind the Rockies when I came, we was a fourth team in Denver. So to go through that and build that community with that city, to spend seven, seven and a half years there, to win, to go to the Western Conference finals to, to create that, that camaraderie that we, that we did in the city, I have to take my head off. I will always be kind of indebted to, to the city of Denver. As I got to New York, now I'm older, I'm mature, I have a different perspective, I'm reflecting differently. Things that I'm into is a lot different. How I see things is a lot different. Right. The advice I'm getting is a lot different. I'm in New York. This is the, you know, this is the, the, this is the greatest city in the world. I'm here representing the greatest city in the world. So who wouldn't want that aspect of it?
- [21:52]
Craig Melvin
The first time I interviewed you is 2016 in Rio at the Olympics. And we chatted a little bit about what was going to the next chapter in terms of business and broadcasting. I'll come back to that in a second.
- [22:05]
Carmelo Anthony
Yes.
- [22:06]
Craig Melvin
But I distinctly remember being struck by how proud you were to be representing Team usa And in my mind, I was like, okay, well, I mean, at that point, you'd already been to probably seven All Star Games and you'd been a scoring champion. You'd done all this like you were already a guaranteed hall of Famer. You took such a pride in playing for Team usa. Why?
- [22:34]
Carmelo Anthony
It's different. It's, it's.
- [22:36]
Craig Melvin
Even for a guy like you.
- [22:37]
Carmelo Anthony
Yes, it's totally different because now instead of me having to wear the white hat for 82 games for a season like you, you have to be the man. 82 games, you had to perform at a high level. For 82 games. And some nights is not going to go your way, and some nights it will. But you perform on a USA team, you're with the best players in the world, right? So if you're smart, as one of the best players in the world, I'm just going to figure out what I bring to this team as being part of the best players in the world. So I figured out what I brought to the team, but it was also a situation where I just love the game of basketball. Like, it's fun to me, right? And again, we talk about perspective and reflecting back on just what that means to participate in the World Championship or Olympics. We watch it, we watch the Olympics. We see the excitement. We watch these other sports in the Olympics. It's exciting fans, you see the fandom, and when you're out there, you feel that as a player. So I always felt like, man, you know, I always want to play on Team USA. Like, I've been part of Team USA since 2002. I played on the 18 and under, you know, Junior Nationals, right? So I've been part of that Team USA program from 02 all the way to 2016. Right? That's a long, long time to be representing your country in one sport. So, you know, again, it comes back to perspective. For me, I always felt like it was a pride thing. And then you again, you playing alongside LeBron, Kobe, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, like, you playing alongside the greats, man, I'm going to enjoy this. I'm going to have fun. I'm going to, you know, I'm a wear this Team USA uniform proudly.
- [24:20]
Craig Melvin
You did. Well, I'm checking my notes here because it says your son, Kyan, he's a freshman basketball player at. Oh, oh, what do you know, Syracuse. Did you give the boy an option? Did you? Then don't lie.
- [24:37]
Carmelo Anthony
Don't lie.
- [24:39]
Craig Melvin
Was it like, dad, I'm considering these schools, or was it like, son, here's the, here's the paperwork to Syracuse. You just, you sign here.
- [24:48]
Carmelo Anthony
No, you know what? I think my experience of, of and my knowledge of how this works, right? Recruiting and going on visits, and because I've been there, I've done it. I. I was the. The number one guy in the country who had to deal with these type of things. So I wanted him. My message to him was, I want you to enjoy this recruiting process. Just enjoy it. Like, I take the visits. Go on. The visits. You want to go on. Enjoy it. I don't want to try to convince you to go to Q'S I don't, I'm not. Listen, I'm going to be your dad and I need you. You're 18 years old. I need you to start making some decisions that again, you're going to have to be a part of this for the rest of your life. I have my, you know, I'm a part of the Syracuse from a different standpoint. I've, I've created that. I've built that. Now you have to build whatever your situation is going to be now, if it's going to be usc, Ohio State, one of these other schools, you have to be ready to deal with this for the rest of your life. You have to represent this for the rest of your life. And I left it at that. I didn't, I couldn't, I promise you. I didn't say, I didn't say, I didn't say nothing else. I didn't say nothing else. We went.
- [25:56]
Craig Melvin
It might have been the way you said it. No, the way you said it.
- [25:58]
Carmelo Anthony
And that's why I wanted, I want to come back to that because that almost kicked me in the behind at the end because my, I would say my passiveness of like, hey man, I need you to make a decision. Like, I want you to enjoy this. And as he's going on these visits, he's enjoying the visits. We go to Florida State, he's like, that Florida State. Then we go to usc. He's like, dang, usc. Then he's like, hey, I want to go. I want to go visit Auburn. I want to visit Ohio State. And I'm like, in my mind, I'm like, bro, what about Juice? Like, what are we, what are we doing here with Q? So we go to usc, the last visit. And again I'm just like in the background, like a fly on the wall, I'm just listening. And we leave the visit and he's like, I understand, I want to go to Q's. And I'm like, really? He's like, yes, I want to go because I understand that it's greater than me, it's greater than you. Like what we have here.
- [27:03]
Craig Melvin
Wow.
- [27:03]
Carmelo Anthony
It's special. And what you created here is special. So for me to be a part of that. And again, as a 17, 18 year old kid coming to you, having that conversation with you, like I ran to the back, like, we going to Cube.
- [27:19]
Craig Melvin
Oh, it's a great story. That's a good. It sounds like even at 18 years old, he understood and appreciated the legacy that had been created at Syracuse. You co parent and there Are a lot of folks who are listening to this and watching right now who co parent people who may not have had perhaps the sort of public split. What would you say to those folks who are navigating something like that?
- [27:50]
Carmelo Anthony
It could still work. You know, it's still an effort, is still, you know, participation is still communication. You still have to talk. You, we still got to raise a young man. So, you know, you still have to have those kind of lines of communication open when it comes to just doing what's best for, for the kid. And I would say communicating for sure. And sometimes that can be. It's easier said than done, you know, communicating is easier said than done, but it has to be a full on effort from both sides.
- [28:22]
Craig Melvin
You think you'll, you'll get married again? Do you think you'll.
- [28:25]
Carmelo Anthony
I don't know, man. I don't, I don't know, man. I've done it, man. I've tried it. 16 years. Like it's, I've done it at the, at the highest level. I'm not against it. I, I support it. You know, I'm, I'm all for it. I love to see people, you know, kind of go through that ceremony.
- [28:41]
Craig Melvin
So you said I support it like it's a proposition on a ballot.
- [28:45]
Carmelo Anthony
No, I support it. I just, you know, mean it. Like I'm not. If somebody come to me saying, hey, man, should I do this? I'm like, hell yeah, do it. Like, you know, it's fun. It's like, you know, enjoy it. But from my experience, what I want to go through that again. I don't know. I don't know at this point in time that I have the, I would say the real estate to actually commit to that and deal with that.
- [29:04]
Craig Melvin
There's a little segment that we call Craig's Curiosities.
- [29:07]
Carmelo Anthony
Yes.
- [29:08]
Craig Melvin
What's the single best part about attending a Bad Bunny concert?
- [29:11]
Carmelo Anthony
Oh, you standing up the whole time. You dancing.
- [29:16]
Craig Melvin
If you had to switch lives with any athlete, any sport for 24 hours, who would it be and why?
- [29:26]
Carmelo Anthony
Any athlete for 24 hours, who. It would probably be Muhammad Ali. Like I was, I would switch lives with Muhammad Ali because I would want to know what it was like to
- [29:44]
Craig Melvin
walk in those shoes and also what it was like to be vilified.
- [29:49]
Carmelo Anthony
Yes.
- [29:50]
Craig Melvin
For the better part of a decade and some change and then all of a sudden have the, the world embrace you as well and pretend as if that never happened.
- [29:59]
Carmelo Anthony
Perspective, right? People have perspective and people, people see the journeys and they see the careers and then once it's over, you have a chance to reflect back on it and judge the overall career so you know what Muhammad stood for. Like, I would love to just walk in those shoes and be a part of those conversations that he was a part of and the knowledge that, that he was a part of in the wisdom. Like that's what I, I would, I would love to switch switch lines with him.
- [30:25]
Craig Melvin
If you had a theme song that played every time you walked into a room, what would it be?
- [30:30]
Carmelo Anthony
Change is going to come. Sam Cooke Is it though?
- [30:33]
Craig Melvin
Is it going to come or does the pendulum just swing back and forth?
- [30:37]
Carmelo Anthony
The pendulum sometimes swing back and forth, but it's changing from side to side.
- [30:44]
Craig Melvin
It's changing More to come with Carmelo Anthony. Stay with us
- [30:52]
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- [31:24]
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- [32:26]
Craig Melvin
We usually like to give our guests an opportunity to promote a product or cause. And I was looking at my notes, if we did that with you, we'd have to carve out another 10 minutes. You have your hands, you're in wine, you're in cannabis. Walk me through just the Carmelo Anthony business portfolio as we sit here right now, knowing full well this could change in three days.
- [32:57]
Carmelo Anthony
Absolutely. I try to divide the portfolio. I try to, you know, I, I love doing things, especially in business that I love to do. I don't like to, I don't do things that I don't love to do. And that alleviates a lot of things, that alleviates a lot of business opportunities sometimes to be big opportunities. But I don't love to do it and I have, and I pass up on it. So I, I, I love wine. I have a, I created a wine business. It's not just one wine. We have nine SKUs right now, all from France to Napa. We working in South Africa, working in Australia. So we, we build enough, we build in a real beverage company and not, not just a, you know, a singular wine. The cannabis is, you know, that, that part of it is more of a wellness component, right? It's, it's, when in doubt, stay mellow. How do you remain calm in the midst of chaos? How do you relax, how do you wake up, how do you go about your day, right? Teaching you what to consume, how to consume, when to consume. So it's, it's, it's educational too, right? Building a community in all inclusive community where we could talk about health issue, mental health issues. We could talk about. We have real male men conversations, right? We could sit there and we could smoke and talk and drinks and drink some of your bourbon over there, Craig. Like, it's, this is what I'm actually trying to create when it comes to that, my media company, right? And then, and now, you know, being a part of, you know, NBC family, like building that and taking advantage of that and having 7:00pm as, you know, the, you know, I could have 7:00pm and I still would do NBC. Like, it's, you know, these are completely two different worlds. So, man, I just try to take advantage of all of these things, man. I have my lifestyle brand, my stay Mellow lifestyle brand that we, you know, we're in China right now and we just build them. I just like to have fun, man. I'm getting into farming and trying to buy a farm and, you know, I want, I want to create my, I want to have my own honey, I want to have my own, boil my own fruits. And this is the things that I love to do.
- [34:53]
Craig Melvin
You are the definition of a renaissance, man. I got to Ask you, is being a sports broadcaster what you thought it would be? Because we talked about this back in Rio. You won't remember.
- [35:04]
Carmelo Anthony
We did. I do remember.
- [35:06]
Craig Melvin
Is it. Is it what you thought it would be?
- [35:10]
Carmelo Anthony
You know, it's. It's fun. I would say that it is. It's not what I thought it would be because at that point in time when I spoke to you about that, I was in a different mindset. I was a still an active player, right? So, like, man, I don't want to. I'm not sitting on that, on that desk and talking about, like, I'm not doing that. And then as you go, man, it's like the game needs me in a sense of my knowledge and my experience and, and what I can give back and lending my voice back to the game and to this younger generation. It was one point in time after I retired. I'm like, man, I don't want to deal with basketball. I don't want to. I don't want nothing to do. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to speak about it. And I had to get out of that, out of that phase. And now I'm enjoying it, man. It's fun, you know, having a job. Like, I got a job now. You know, I'm going to work on and checking in with my, you know, I'm punching in on the clock. So it's. It's a. It's a lot of fun. You get it? This is the opportunity for me to build a whole new team together with those guys and Maria. So it's. And it's something new, I think, for me, being the fact that this is the beginning of something new. NBC, NBA on NBC for the next 10, 11 years. Like, we get a chance to build this from the, from the ground up.
- [36:20]
Craig Melvin
Two questions for the road. Carmelo. What is. What's. One moment. Carmelo Anthony is still chasing my son.
- [36:28]
Carmelo Anthony
I'm say this my son, whenever his time comes to go shake Adam Silver's hand. Like, that's what, that's what we chasing.
- [36:38]
Craig Melvin
Where do you want him to play?
- [36:40]
Carmelo Anthony
Where? Yeah, you know, it would be crazy if Denver is back in the fold. Like, if, you know, you talking about cycles and things come back. But I don't know, man, at this point, I just, I want him to be there and in whatever situation is the situation and whatever's the best situation for you at that time when you decide, like, that's where I want you at. I mean, it's no bad situation, you know, when it comes to just being a part of the NBA family now, there's bad teams. I'm not gonna say this. There's not bad teams. There's a lot of bad teams. There are. But at that point, the goal is to get there, be comfortable, and start working on your development.
- [37:17]
Craig Melvin
At that point, have you ever objectively stepped back. I just lied. By the way, I've got two more questions.
- [37:23]
Carmelo Anthony
You all know.
- [37:25]
Craig Melvin
Have you stepped back to. To think about? I mean, there, There have been other. Dell Curry comes to mind. You know, Dale. I mean, Steph. You know, Steph Curry. LeBron's got a son in the league right now, obviously, but how crazy it would be to have an NBA hall of Famer, to have his son who, oh, by the way, played at his alma mater, go on to the. Like. That's. It's. I don't think it's ever been done. I don't think that's ever been done.
- [37:58]
Carmelo Anthony
I mean, I haven't even thought about that. I mean, so you just said that. I don't think it have been done. And again, doing it and doing it the right way, like, it's, you know, it's just about, you know, taking your time and really understanding, you know, the NBA is not going anywhere. The money is not going anywhere. Right. It's like, how. How can we develop? How can we get better? How can we strengthen the. The iq? How can we strengthen the intellect of the game? You're going to get better, you're going to get stronger, you're going to skillful. You know, you. Those things is going to come. But how do we prepare ourselves for what's to come once you step foot until that NBA.
- [38:38]
Craig Melvin
Anything I didn't ask you about that. You want to talk about?
- [38:40]
Carmelo Anthony
Nah, this was great.
- [38:41]
Craig Melvin
Craig, I'm gonna send you a bill for this therapy session.
- [38:44]
Carmelo Anthony
I got you, brother, whenever you need, anytime.
- [38:47]
Craig Melvin
I enjoyed this mellow congratulations on all the things. Okay.
- [38:50]
Carmelo Anthony
I appreciate you, Craig. Thank you.
- [38:51]
Craig Melvin
Cheers.
- [38:52]
Carmelo Anthony
Cheers, brother.
- [38:53]
Craig Melvin
I so enjoyed that conversation, especially his perspective on the potential of being the father of a future NBA great and how proud he is of his city of Baltimore. Well, that's gonna do it. And for those of you who listen regularly, you know, this is where I thank the corporate overlords for the opportunity to have these extended conversations. In exchange for that, I encourage you to like, subscribe and share. Is it share? They're nodding in agreement. Yes, share. Oh, and you can comment as well, if you'd like. Apparently, if you comment, that goes a long way with the algorithm. All right, well, that's it for this episode of Glass Half Full. I hope you enjoy it and I'll see you next time. Cheers. Today's episode of Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin is produced by Sadie Bass and Jarrett Crawford along with Brooke Glatz. Ali Straim is our editor and Giuliana Mastarelli is our audio engineer. Arianna Davis and Ashley Kodiani are our executive producers. Additional production support is provided by Chloe Long, Ashley Domagola, Bailey Coronis, Tyler Essery and Shannon Stanton.
- [40:32]
Commercial Narrator
Now at the Home Depot. Receive 12 months special financing and free basic installation on carpet projects with lifeproof Lifeproof with pet proof technology, home decorators collection and traffic Master carpets bring a new look to your floors or give them a durable surface that stands up to life's tough messes. Get 12 months special financing on installed carpet projects right now at the Home Depot. Offer valid March 12 through March 29, 2026. Exclusions and additional charges may apply for licenses. See homedepot.com licensenumbers.