A Legend Returns: Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse University
The Syracuse University Men’s Basketball team just after winning the 2003 NCAA National Championship. Carmelo Anthony is the third from the left in the front row. Syracuse University Yearbook Collection.
by Anna E. Shuff G'26 (School of Information Studies), University Archives graduate student staff member
Carmelo Anthony—Olympian, NBA All-Star and former member of Syracuse University’s championship men’s basketball team—is returning to campus to speak to the Class of 2025 at the commencement ceremony on May 11th.
Anthony, also known by his nickname ‘Melo,’ was a standout even before his time at Syracuse University. When he committed to the University’s men’s basketball team in 2001, he was considered one of the best high school basketball players in the country. Anthony’s skill as a scorer was instrumental in Syracuse’s remarkable 2002-2003 basketball season, which began with the team unranked and concluded with a 30-5 season record and the University’s first and only men’s NCAA National Championship win in April of 2003. For his effort, Anthony was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and was the Big East Conference’s selection for Freshman of the Year.
The front page of the April 8, 2003 issue of The Daily Orange announcing Syracuse University’s 2003 men’s basketball NCAA National Championship win. The Daily Orange Collection.
After his freshman season, Anthony entered the 2003 NBA Draft and ultimately signed with the Denver Nuggets. He went on to play a total of 19 NBA seasons and 10 NBA All-Star games and was chosen as a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary team. Anthony was also a 4-time member of the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, with whom he won a bronze medal in 2004 followed by 3 consecutive gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016. At the time of his retirement from the sport in 2023, Anthony was one of the top scorers in the NBA’s history. In 2025, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
His association with Syracuse University continued through his professional career. A generous gift from Anthony in 2007 allowed for the construction of the University’s Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center which was completed in 2009. In 2017, he received a Chancellor’s Medal for Philanthropy in honor of his charitable work. In 2024, his son, Kiyan Anthony, committed to play basketball at Syracuse University.
Searching through the University Archives, materials about Anthony’s time at Syracuse University might seem sparse at first. After all, he only spent his freshman year at the University before leaving to pursue his professional basketball career. Though there is no single Carmelo Anthony collection to consult, his importance to the University’s history and culture is evident in many different collections throughout the Archives. Anthony’s accomplishments are celebrated in the 2003 Men's Basketball NCAA Championship Collection which contains memorabilia and printed materials related to the team’s historic victory. He also features in the Syracuse University Men’s Basketball Collection which documents his unique role in the team’s history. Anthony also appears several times in the 2003 Syracuse University yearbook, a rare accomplishment for a freshman. News coverage of Anthony and his career can be found in the Syracuse University Clipping Files, as can articles about his historic 2002-03 basketball season and the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center that is named in his honor. The Daily Orange Collection contains the student newspaper’s reporting on his contributions to the University’s 2003 men’s basketball NCAA Championship victory, and he appears in the Syracuse University Photograph Collection alongside his teammates.
This commemorative banner from the 2003 Men's Basketball NCAA Championship Collection documents the scores of the team’s historic 2002-03 season that culminated in their 2003 National Championship win.
Carmelo Anthony’s presence across the University Archives is a testament to the tremendous impact that both his time as a student and his philanthropy in the years that followed have had on Syracuse University. This presence will only grow with Anthony’s commencement address and whatever else the future holds for him and the University.