Carmelo Anthony was born on May 29, 1984 in the Red Hook projects of Brooklyn. Anthony, nicknamed "Melo," is currently playing small forward for the New York Knicks in the NBA.

Melo attended Towson Catholic High School in Baltimore and later Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. where he had a successful high school basketball career. After high school, he attended Syracuse University where he played under head coach Jim Boeheim for one season. Anthony led the Orange to their first NCAA national championship as they beat Kansas, 81-78, on April 7, 2003 in New Orleans. Anthony scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the game and became the third freshman in NCAA Tournament history to earn Most Outstanding Player honors.

Melo left Syracuse after his freshman season to enter into the 2003 NBA draft. He was selected with the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets. Anthony was the fourth player in NBA history to gain all six Rookie of the Month awards in one season. He was also the NBA All-Rookie First Team selection by unanimous vote. Anthony led the Nuggets to the playoffs every year from 2004-'10, averaging a career-high 28.9 points per game during the 2006-'07 season.

Anthony won a bronze medal at 2004 Olympics in Greece and a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

Anthony was traded to the New York Knicks in a multi-player deal that also involved the Minnesota Timberwolves the day before the NBA Trade Deadline in February 2011. Although his number had been 15 throughout his career, Anthony wears number seven because the Knicks retired No. 15 in honor of former players Earl Monroe and Dick McGuire. Melo’s first season playing for the Knicks was a moderate success with the team making the playoffs for the first time since 2004. New York failed to win a game as they were swept 4-0 by the Boston Celtics in the first round.