LOS ANGELES -- Carmelo Tony said that the best thing about passing Moses Malone for number one was what it meant to him. The level of his NBA career, which he has been able to maintain for nearly two decades, is 9th on the all-time scoring record in Sunday's 121-118 win by the Los Angeles Lakers over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Anthony, who scored 18 of the team's 28 points in the second period to win the game, said that he was still doing it. "That's what I am truly excited about. I'm still here in year 19, doing what I can do. I'm still passionate about the game. It is still a passion to go to work each day and get better. What a better way to get to ninth than with a win.
Anthony entered the night with 15 points needed to surpass Malone's career total of 27,409. He started quickly, scoring five points in quarter one, then another five in the quarter two, and finally finding his rhythm in quarter three.
He scored back-to-back 3s within 48 seconds, turning a deficit of two points into a lead of two after the flurry. His wing triple with 3 minutes remaining in the quarter lifted him past Malone, a 13-time All-Star player and 2001 Hall of Famer.
Frank Vogel, Lakers coach, said that "He didn’t crawl up to this milestone." "He blew the doors out of it."
Anthony kept going strong in the fourth period, scoring 12 more points. With 1.9 seconds left, he made two free throws to ice the game and secure L.A.’s first win of the new campaign. This was after a 0-6 preseason that was followed by a 0-2 regular season.
Anthony and LeBron James have been friends since they were 16 years old. Anthony was 17 at the time when they first met. James said Sunday that he had just returned from the game and told his teammates that he saw the greatest player he'd ever seen.
They have been close friends and, after playing together in countless games for the U.S Olympic Team, as well as making the same All Star rosters, are now playing together on the NBA team for this season.
James stated that he usually texts or calls my friends when they achieve these kinds of achievements. "It was special because he is my teammate, so I was able to do it in person."
Anthony stated that the Lakers gave him the game ball as a keepsake in the locker room after the game.
Anthony smiled his trademark smile and said "They wanted me give a speech but I was too tired."
Malone, who was 39 years old, played his final season as a professional basketball player. He averaged 2.9 points per game for the San Antonio Spurs during his 21st year. He averaged fewer than five point per game for his third consecutive year. This was the end of a Hall of Fame career, which included back-toback league MVPs in Houston and Philadelphia in early 1980s.
Anthony, 37, is scoring 17.7 points per game in his three first games with L.A.
After spending more than one year in the NBA, he was released by the Houston Rockets in November 2018. He had only played 10 games for the team.
Anthony Davis said, "A few years ago nobody wanted him." He was counted out. Doubted. He stayed the course. He remained a professional and was offered a job in Portland. He made a name for him again. He's back now, continuing his legacy. It's an honor having him on our team and to be able to play alongside him.
Anthony and James are the first 19-year-old veterans to ever play together in league History. James also brought up how the league had recently turned a cold face towards Anthony.
James stated, "He's been doing this for quite some time and it's just beautiful, especially when they give up on him,"
Anthony, who has a one-year contract with Lakers and will be 38 in May, sounds like someone who wants to keep collecting buckets for as long as the team will allow him.
"Scoring the basket is difficult. Anthony stated that although it may seem easy, it is not. This is 19 years of repetition for me. Night-in, night-out. Every day. Every summer. Every season. These benefits are my result of my professionalism and persistence. How I approach the game and what I bring to it. I want to keep going. This is all that matters to my heart."
