The glimpse into the immortality of Carmelo Anthony’s Knicks stardom was subtle, a brief cameo on the Madison Square Garden jumbotron May 2 amid a stretch when the organization — his organization — stretched its season further than in any other year since he donned that jersey.
It was Game 2 of the Knicks’ second-round playoff series against the Heat, and the 38-year-old, with 16-year-old son Kiyan seated to his right, was introduced with the label “New York Knicks Legend” underneath his name — perhaps not all that different from the television chyrons, newspaper graphics and photo captions that accompanied his six-plus seasons as the preeminent basketball star in the city of basketball’s heartbeat.
Anthony, who announced his retirement Monday after 19 NBA seasons, first waved toward the screen, but then he stood. He lifted both hands into the air. He clasped them together before lifting them again as a standing ovation commenced.
The reunion with the former star was accompanied by a different tone of respect, an appreciation that wouldn’t have been present had Anthony worn a No. 7 white home jersey with orange lettering and blue trim and the Knicks lost that night. He didn’t have any on-court responsibilities.
