Carmelo Anthony got candid about his release from the Houston Rockets.
The NBA star sat down with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s “First Take” to discuss his free agency following his time with the team. The decorated forward told the host he “didn’t understand” where his release came from, explaining that he “never missed a practice, did all my work, I was real professional with everybody there.”
After playing 10 games with the team, Anthony was dropped from the rotation. While Anthony attempted to patch things up with general manager Daryl Morey, the GM had other plans.
“I actually reached out to Daryl first, and said, ‘Can we talk about, how can we make this better, what can we do to fix this, what can I do to fix this?’” Anthony said. “But then he had in mind that he wanted to come talk to me too, about releasing me and letting me go. So I didn’t like how that went down.”
The 10-time NBA All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist told Smith that the experience “was an ego hit. That was a pride hit.”
Anthony has not yet signed with another team, but Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard posted on Twitter in an attempt to rally teams to sign the legend and give him a proper farewell tour.