George Karl seeks validation for Carmelo Anthony's Hall of Fame journey, open to getting "roasted"

Carmelo Anthony is going to be a part of this year's Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class. He's one of the Top 75 players in NBA history, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and an NCAA champion. One of his former coaches, George Karl, is looking to mend fences with the legendary scorer.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Karl congratulated Anthony for being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He wants to reconnect with his former player after years of animosity stemming from how Karl, a Hall of Fame coach, has been critical of the 10-time All-Star.

"It’s darn cool to see Melo enter Springfield as a first ballot Hall of Famer!" Karl tweeted.

"I like to think I played a part in his Hall of Fame journey, during his best pro years in Denver. It would be fun to reconnect before his enshrinement. But if not, he can roast me at the Podium!"

Carmelo Anthony's first coach in the NBA was Jeff Bzdelik, followed by Michael Cooper, who was an interim coach for 14 games. George Karl then took over the Denver Nuggets midway through Anthony's sophomore season. They partnered up until the one-time scoring champion's trade to the New York Knicks in February 2011.

Anthony had some of his best years under Karl in Denver, making four All-Star games and cementing himself as one of the best scorers in the league. They often butted heads, which continued well into retirement. However, the Hall of Fame coach has been calling for a truce and to let bygones be bygones.

In six seasons together in Denver, Karl and Anthony never missed the playoffs. They reached the Western Conference finals in 2009 and were two wins away from the NBA Finals before losing to Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers in six games.

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Carmelo Anthony's career in retrospect

Carmelo Anthony's career in retrospec. (Photo: IMAGN)

Some fans are debating whether Carmelo Anthony deserves to be a first ballot Hall of Famer despite not reaching the NBA Finals and winning a championship. They might have forgotten that it's the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which takes into account a player's entire career.

Anthony was a winner, an All-American high school basketball star at Towson Catholic and Oak Hill Academy. He led the Syracuse Orange to the NCAA championship as a freshman in 2003 and was a runner-up in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting.

The Baltimore native was a 10-time All-Star and a one-time scoring champion. He played for teams like the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, OKC Thunder, Houston Rockets, LA Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers. But his crowning achievement is winning four Olympic medals – a bronze in 2004 and golds in 2008, 2012 and 2016.