Carmelo Anthony reveals story behind his rare #15 Hawks jersey that turned into viral TikTok meme

10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony created plenty of memories during his illustrious career. However, there is one part of his playing days that will likely remain just a footnote in basketball history; his stint with the Atlanta Hawks that never happened.

The Hawks poked fun at Anthony's time with the franchise by likening it to the now-viral TikTok ban that was reversed. The Hawks posted an image of Anthony's Hawks jersey on their X account (formerly Twitter).

This prompted the former NBA All-Star to talk about that time of his career on the "7 PM in Brooklyn" podcast.

Anthony revealed the story behind the jersey while also sharing just how rare it was.

"I do have one, it was only like two made," Anthony said.

He was then asked by Rudy Gay if the Hawks sent him the jersey.

"Yeah they sent me the jersey," Anthony replied. "When I went back to play in Atlanta, they gave me the jersey. I respected Atlanta so much for doing that though because they didn't have to. Real helping hand situation."

In the summer of 2018, Carmelo Anthony was traded to the Atlanta Hawks by the OKC Thunder in a three-team deal that also involved the Philadelphia 76ers. However, he would not play a single game in a Hawks uniform as the front office bought out his contract before the 2018-19 season began.

After clearing waivers, Anthony signed with the Houston Rockets, where he would have a one-season stint. He would also play for the Portland Trail Blazers for two seasons and the LA Lakers for a year before retiring from playing professional basketball.

The Hawks social media team have now taken advantage of the jersey that Anthony never got to use creatively.

---

The Atlanta Hawks have posted about Carmelo Anthony's jersey in the past

Using Carmelo Anthony's jersey to poke fun at the TikTok ban is not the first time that the Hawks posted the jersey.

When Anthony joined the Houston Rockets following his contract buyout, Atlanta's social media team let him know that he would still receive his jersey. In fact, they did it through a post on X.

"Hey @carmeloanthony your jersey is on it's way... good luck fam!" The Hawks tweeted.

The post went viral, with LeBron James joining in on the fun by replying to Atlanta's tweet with his own joke.

"Helleva run in the A my brother @carmeloanthony," James tweeted in response to the post.

Following Anthony's announcement that he was retiring from professional basketball in 2023, Atlanta again posted an image of the jersey. In the post, the Hawks congratulated Anthony for his incredible career.