{"id":210001,"date":"2025-09-08T10:49:26","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T10:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/210001\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T10:49:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T10:49:26","slug":"carmelo-anthony-on-syracuses-2003-ncaa-title-that-changed-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/210001\/","title":{"rendered":"Carmelo Anthony on Syracuse\u2019s 2003 NCAA title: \u2018That changed everything\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Uncasville, Conn. \u2013 The 2003 NCAA championship<\/a>, the biggest moment in Syracuse basketball history, is also the achievement that changed Carmelo Anthony\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the moment that changed everything,\u2019\u2019 Anthony said Friday during an interview with a gathering of reporters one day prior to his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

Anthony, a Syracuse icon for leading the Orange to the national championship during his one and only year at SU, pointed to that season as the foundation for the Hall of Fame that would follow.<\/p>\n

The 19-year NBA career, the 10 All-Star Game appearances, the four U.S. Olympic teams and the three gold medals. All of that started with his one memorable season with the Orange.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat championship is the reason why I\u2019m here today,\u2019\u2019 Anthony said. \u201cWhen you talk about winning a championship in college and being able to have a foundation to start off with, that was the foundation. The championship was my foundation coming into the NBA. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had that,\u201d he continued, \u201cso the only thing for me was I had to build on top of that. Be consistent, become a great pro, work out, train, lock in, commit to the game of basketball. Oh, and try to win a championship. Like all of that started from winning that championship in college. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo I always would say that was the moment that changed everything.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The importance Anthony placed on his one year at Syracuse is noteworthy because he will be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame not once, but twice this weekend.<\/p>\n

In addition to his individual honor, Anthony was also a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, also known as the Redeem Team, that is being recognized in this year\u2019s induction class. <\/p>\n

Again, he pointed to his year at Syracuse as the foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where it started,\u2019\u2019 Anthony said. \u201cThat\u2019s the beginning. That\u2019s where they opened the Carrier Dome up to me. They gave me the ball and told me to go. The very beginning of why I\u2019m sitting here today.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Clad in a white short-sleeved shirt with a stylish blue jacket and pants, topped with a New York Yankees baseball cap and his signature tinted sunglasses, Anthony spoke for almost 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

He touched on a variety of subjects including his upbringing in Baltimore, his appreciation for his late father\u2019s Puerto Rican heritage, how he\u2019s built a personal empire in his post-basketball career and his son, Kiyan\u2019s, decision to his follow in his footsteps and play for Syracuse. <\/p>\n

Anthony is following in some big footsteps himself this weekend. He is just the third former Syracuse player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player after Vic Hanson and Dave Bing. (Former SU coach (and player) Jim Boeheim was inducted into the Hall as a coach in 2005.)<\/p>\n

When asked about continuing a Syracuse legacy, Anthony invoked the name of another Syracuse legend \u2013 football Hall of Famer Jim Brown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just adding on to the greats that came before me,\u2019\u2019 Anthony said. \u201cThe Jim Browns of the \u2018Cuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contact Mike Waters anytime: Email<\/a>|Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

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