Carmelo Anthony - Carmelo Jersey & Bio

Carmelo (Melo) Anthony the small forward for the NBA's Denver Nuggets, was born on May 29, 1984 in New York City but didn't grow up there.  His family actually lived in Texas for a couple of years, and then moved to Baltimore when he was eight.  In Baltimore, Anthony started winning basketball awards, and he began the journey that was to lead him to the NBA.

He played high school ball in Virginia (becoming an All-American), and then one year of college ball at Syracuse University.  The Syracuse Orangemen won the NCAA tournament during that year (2003) for the first time in their history.  Getting a college education wasn't on Anthony's mind, though, and he declared himself eligible for the NBA draft. 

He was picked up by the Denver Nuggets (third overall that year behind James LeBron and Darko Milicic), and promptly proceeded to become a star.  With Anthony's help, the Nuggets became a truly competitive team, a major achievement for the formerly struggling franchise.  Throughout Anthony's young career, however, he has been compared to, and sometimes overshadowed by, "King" James LeBron and Dwayne Wade, both of whom arrived in the NBA in the same year he did.

Measured in jersey sales, Anthony's popularity has not stacked up quite as high as those of these NBA classmates, but at last count Anthony had garnered a respectable number eight in the player rankings for 2005.  Anthony has also gained fan attention for his MTV lifestyle and engagement to hip-hopper La La Vasquez. In addition to the ever-popular swingman jerseys, Carmelo Anthony Syracuse  throwback jerseys are another hit item.