Carmelo Anthony drops touching 4-word reaction as New York honors 10x All-Star's HOF induction in extraordinary way 

Carmelo Anthony is one of the greatest players to suit up in a New York Knicks jersey, and the city is finally honoring the NBA legend on a special day. In honor of "Mela" being named for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the Empire State Building paid homage to him.

The New York skyscraper made a grand gesture, lighting the top in the Knicks' orange and blue colors. On Sunday, the building's official Instagram page posted a picture highlighting that it was done to honor the 10-time NBA All-Star.

"Shining in orange and blue tonight in honor of 10-time NBA All-Star and NY Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony being elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025. #STAYME7O," the caption read.

Anthony later reposted the post on his Instagram story and captioned it with a four-word reaction:

"Thank You New York #STAYME70," he wrote.

[Credit: IG/@carmeloanthony]

Apart from "Melo", the 2025 Hall of Fame class includes another former NBA star in Dwight Howard. WNBA legends Sylvia Fowles, Sue Bird and Maya Moore will also be inducted.

Carmelo Anthony talks possible Knicks jersey retirement

Anthony spent the greatest part of his career with the Knicks. Every season he started in the Knicks jersey, "Melo" made the All-Star selection.

With such a legacy in New York, it wouldn't be surprising if Anthony gets his jersey retired one day. When asked if he would want the Knicks to retire his jersey, he said that he would love to see it happen.

"I would love to see that," the 10-time NBA All-Star said via YahooSports.com. "For me, it’s like, 'Why wait?' If you got to think about it then cool, just let it be."

However, when asked if he expected the team to honor him in the future, he said that he wasn't giving his thoughts about it but would certainly love the honor.

"I don’t know, man, to be honest with you," Anthony said. "A lot of surprises are happening right now around me, so I’m trying to stay in the moment, and if that’s one of the surprises, then I would be ecstatic about that. I would love to see that jersey hung up."

Carmelo Anthony played a total of 412 games with the New York Knicks, the highest after the Denver Nuggets. During his stint with the team, "Melo" averaged 24.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

However, the former NBA star didn't have much postseason success with the Knicks. In the seven years that he was with the team, the Knicks made it to the playoffs only three times, but he averaged 28.0 ppg in the postseason.