“I won back in June of ‘03, shaking David Stern’s hand” - Carmelo Anthony not bothered with lack of championships

Carmelo Anthony recently announced his retirement. The legendary offensive-minded forward decided to put an end to his professional career after 19 years. He will be remembered by many fans, despite never winning a championship ring.

While Melo has never even advanced to the NBA Finals, let alone won it, he has no problem with that. The former New York Knicks superstar believes that getting drafted into the world's prestigious basketball league was considered his biggest victory.

Anthony spent 19 years in the NBA, playing for six different teams. He spent the majority of his career playing for the Denver Nuggets and Knicks, but his biggest postseason success was reaching the Western Conference Finals.

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Carmelo Anthony won when he was drafted in 2003

Carmelo Anthony entered the league through the 2003 NBA draft. This draft class is considered one of the best classes in the league's history since it had many players who'd drastically impact the game of basketball.

Anthony was the third pick of the draft and was selected by the Denver Nuggets. At the time, David Stern was the NBA commissioner, and Melo believes that he won by simply shaking Stern's hand.

Here's what the former NBA superstar said regarding the lack of championships in his career:

"I’m at peace. That doesn’t bother me no more; that idea that you’re a loser if you don’t win a championship,” Anthony said. “For me, I’ve won. I won back in June of '03, shaking David Stern’s hand."

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The legendary forward believes that winning an NBA championship is just one part of a basketball journey. While it might be the most important part, the truth is that Carmelo Anthony was a fantastic player and will forever be remembered by basketball fans.

Anthony was drafted by the Nuggets, spending eight years of his career in Denver (Image via Getty Images)

Anthony's biggest postseason success was reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2009. His Denver Nuggets played against the LA Lakers, but they lost in six games.

The Nuggets forward averaged 27.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He was the team's leading scorer, but his performances weren't enough to beat the Lakers, who advanced to the NBA Finals and won it all.

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Anthony made the NBA playoffs 13 times in his career. He appeared in 83 games, averaging 23.1 points per game on 41.4% shooting. Melo was eliminated 11 times in the first round, one time in the second round, and one time in the conference finals.