Carmelo Anthony put together the finest single freshman season in Syracuse basketball history, as the small forward led the Orangemen to their first NCAA tournament National Championship in 2003. 'Melo' played with a constant smile and a low key personality that allowed him to be a fan and teammate favorite. The consummate player, he could handle every facet of the game and do it well, always played within himself, and was the ultimate team player improving all those around him.

Anthony came to Syracuse has a highly recruited player, and made an immediate impact scoring 27+ points in his first three games. There were times early in the season he struggled to get the team flow working, where it was apparent his teammates were waiting for him to make all the big plays. However, as the season progressed, Anthony's team player skills became apparent, and the team started to gel as a cohesive unit. Though he was not the point guard, the offense often flowed through Anthony.

Anthony scored 30 points against Georgetown in March, and in what would be his last home court appearance, another 30 points against Rutgers. In the NCAA tournament, Anthony was solid in the first four rounds, though heroics were required from several Orangemen for the team to advance. In the Final Four however, he raised his game to another level. Against Texas, Anthony lead all scorers with a career high 33 points, giving the Orangemen a 95-84 victory.

In the NCAA Finals, Anthony played a strong first half, both scoring and rebounding. Kansas would focus on him in the second half, reducing his scoring effort, but he contributed by pulling down more rebounds and providing several key assists. The Orangemen would win the National Championship and Anthony would be the tournament's MVP.

In his only year at Syracuse, Melo would lead Orangemen in scoring and rebounding, was on the Big East first team, Big East Rookie of the Year, and was a first team All-American.

Despite cheers of the fans for "one more year', Melo declared himself eligible for the NBA draft after his freshman year. He was the 3rd pick in the draft, selected by the Denver Nuggets, and improved that team from the worst team in the league to a playoff team in his first season.

By the end of his third season in the NBA, Anthony had developed the reputation as being the best clutch shooter in the league.

Anthony would be involved in a highly publicized fight his fourth season against the New York Knicks. Under the new zero tolerance rules in the NBA, he became the first player to have a significant suspension for fighting, missing 15 games. He would still be second in the league in scoring with 28.9 points per game, and help the Nuggets get to the first round of the playoffs. He was an All-Star eight different seasons. He would be traded to the New York Knicks in the middle of the 2010-2011 season. He would join the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017-2018, and for the Houston Rockets for 10 games 2018-2019. Anthony would sit out most of the 2018-2019 season, before joining the Portland Trailblazers in the fall of 2019.

Anthony would lead the NBA in scoring average for the 2012-2013 season with a 28.7 ppg average.

Anthony played on the United States Olympic team four times, and would be the most decorated all-time male Olympic basketball player. He won a bronze medal in Athens in 2004, on a team he was a small contributor on. He was a significant contributor in Beijing in 2008 as part of the gold medal winning 'redeem team'. He would win his second gold medal in London in 2012, and his Olympic basketball record third gold medal in Rio in 2016. Melo would end his Olympic career holding the U.S. record for most wins, games, points and rebounds in his career.

In 2007, Anthony donated $3 million dollars to the Syracuse athletic department to build a new basketball practice facility. In September of 2009, the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center was opened on campus.

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