Carmelo Anthony Offers Blunt Take On San Antonio Spurs
NBA analyst and New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony is one of the league’s top players over the past 20 years. Anthony retired from the league in 2023 after a 19-year career with 10 NBA All-Star selections and six All-NBA Team selections.
Despite never winning an NBA championship, Anthony is one of the NBA’s best players of all time. Anthony’s enshrinement to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame confirmed his spot as one of the league’s greatest in 2025.
Despite being four years removed from playing professional basketball, he keeps busy as a studio analyst for NBC Sports’ NBA coverage. His rather blunt take on the San Antonio Spurs has generated discussion in recent days. Here’s why.
Carmelo Anthony’s Blunt Take On the San Antonio Spurs
Carmelo Anthony recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Casino.ca, a Canadian online casino guide. Anthony spoke with Casino.ca about several NBA topics, including the New York Knicks.
The topic of the San Antonio Spurs winning four out of five regular-season matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder arose. He didn’t hold back. He said that the regular season didn’t mean anything. He added that playoff basketball was a different brand of the sport.
Despite offering a blunt take on the Spurs, he had high praise for Victor Wembanyama. When asked if the Spurs star can be stopped, his response cast a strong doubt that Wembanyama, or any great NBA player, can be halted due to their top speed and agility.
He said, in part, “What you can do is you can try to make it tough on them. You can show them different schemes. You can be physical. You can move them around. You can have them chasing guys off screens.”
He also shared that Wembanyama is the best defensive player in the NBA. His opinion was solid. Wembanyama’s domination on both the perimeter and in the paint helps him become a one-of-a-kind defender in the modern NBA.
Anthony’s Take On the Oklahoma City Thunder
Despite playing just one season with the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2017-18, Anthony’s take on the Thunder could’ve been described as “constant,” given its continuous pattern of consistency.
Anthony commented on the Thunder’s struggles against the Spurs. He described the former’s struggles against the latter as a good conversation and a good backdrop to talk about. However, he noted that they were two different teams, so we’ll see what happens.
The Thunder remain his favorite in the 2026 NBA Finals. He described OKC as a tough check all across the board due to their fast-paced play, ability to pick on mismatches, and power to defend at a high level. In short, OKC is the team to beat until they’re beaten.
When asked if the Thunder can isolate Wembanyama defensively, he responded that they couldn’t, due to Wembanyama’s top-level agility and speed. He added that they’d need to put him in misdirections and screens to make him chase players and make them switch.
Anthony Talks NBA Memories
Anthony’s NBA career spanned from 2003 to 2022. Anthony was best known for his seven-season tenure with the Knicks, but he began his career with the Denver Nuggets and played stints with the Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers.
When asked for his favorite teammates, he responded that he had a bunch of teammates, but he mentioned J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, Andre Miller, and Chauncey Billups.
When asked if he had a soft spot for the Nuggets, he said yes. He also confirmed the interviewer’s mentions of Camby, Miller, Nene, Voshon Leonard, Chris Andersen, and Earl Boykins as a tight-knit group in the 2000s.
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