Carmelo Anthony: I never wanted to leave Denver Nuggets

Carmelo Anthony spent eight sensational years at the Denver Nuggets before joining the New York Knicks in the middle of the 2010-11 NBA season. The move garnered media attention, mainly because of rumors that Anthony had stalled on a proposed contract extension with the Nuggets and forced his way to the Knickerbockers.

Carmelo Anthony denied reports he wanted to leave Denver Nuggets

However, during a recent appearance on the "All The Smoke" podcast, the 10-time All-Star made a shocking revelation. Contrary to all the speculation, Anthony revealed he never wanted to leave the Denver Nuggets.

“Contrary to what anyone believes, I never wanted to leave Denver,” Anthony revealed on the All The Smoke podcast.

Anthony was snapped up by the Denver Nuggets as the 3rd overall pick in the famous 2003 NBA draft, where LeBron James was drafted first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Nicknamed Melo, he posted incredible numbers and led the Nuggets into the postseason every year from 2004 to 2010. The 2009 season became special as the Nuggets made it into the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1985.

Carmelo Anthony also played for Oklahoma City Thunder

But Nuggtes’ failure to build on that deep playoff run in 2009 was the reason behind Carmelo Anthony’s move to the Knicks.

“I never told people that, but I never wanted to leave Denver. But they put my back against the wall. “You go to the Western Conference Finals in ’09, what are you supposed to do? You’re supposed to build on that. You’re supposed to add people."

“They got rid of Dahntay Jones. On that team, Dahntay was a key piece on that team. They’re like, we ain’t re-signing Chauncey [Billups]. We’re about to trade J.R. [Smith], K-Mart’s (Kenyon Martin) contract was up and the lockout’s coming? So, I’m not about to rebuild after we went to the Western Conference Finals."

“I don’t want to go, but if y’all going to rebuild, it’s time for me to go somewhere else.”

Before making the eventual move to the Knicks, there were many reports that teams such as the New Jersey Nets (now rechristened Brooklyn Nets), Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawk, were also interested in Carmelo Anthony. But Melo inevitably ended up in New York.

In honor of Carmelo Anthony’s Birthday today, here’s the funniest Melo video you will ever see: ‘Carmelo Don't Pass’ by @ItsReal85Watch The Full Video: https://t.co/l6y6Bu0zdM pic.twitter.com/vkC4YjKRly

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 29, 2019

If Carmelo Anthony was already a superstar for the Denver Nuggets, he took his game to an even newer level with the Knickerbockers, and left a lasting legacy. His best season came during the 2012-13 season when he won the coveted NBA scoring title after averaging 28.7 points per game.

It's worth noting that Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James are the only two remaining active players from the 2003 NBA draft class. The duo will be seen together at the Los Angeles Lakers in the upcoming season after Melo made the move to Showtime during the offseason.

Carmelo Anthony may not be the force he used to be, but he will go down as one of the best offensive players of his generation. For the record, he is a 10-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA second team. His career average is 23.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.