Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard headline 2025 Hall of Fame finalists

Carmelo Anthony: And maybe, looking back, I was young. I was young, trying to figure out my game, trying to figure it all out. I had to run the organization, I had to represent, and I also had to stay true to who I was. So I had somebody like George—an older coach who had been around the block for a long time—who was really trying to send me a message. But if he had delivered that message differently, I probably would have received it differently. Looking back now, I’m like, “Damn, he was saying some real shit to me,” but it wasn’t the way you should say it in that situation. -via YouTube / February 13, 2025

Carmelo Anthony: Well, for me, it was like literature—staying in my books, staying in my lessons, really separating myself from the game of basketball. I’m like, “Yo, you know what?” I told my agent, Leon, at the time, “Lee, don’t have any teams call me. I don’t want to talk to any team. I’m just ready to walk away from this. The game doesn’t love me the way I love the game anymore. It’s time for me to go.” And that’s what I felt. So I’m like, “Let me just separate myself from the game. Don’t answer any calls from any teams.” Because the more calls that came in, the more disrespected I felt. It was like, “Yo, the calls that are coming in, the offers that are coming in—what do you want me to come in and do? Nah, nah. No. Come on. You don’t want me. Come on.” -via YouTube / February 13, 2025

Dwight Howard on Kobe Bryant: Man, we flew together (from Dallas All-Star Weekend). We were on the same plane, and we didn’t even talk. I’m like, ‘Yo, my guy, it’s just me and you. We can’t even speak to each other?’ I’m like, ‘Nah, this ain’t right.’ It felt like a movie. It ain’t right. I’m saying, Kobe—this ain’t right. What’s going on? For real, like—he knew we were teammates. Then when we got to the lockers, me and him were supposed to be next to each other because they put all the teammates together. But he’s over here, and I’m like, ‘Yo, this is crazy.’ I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know what was going on. -via YouTube / January 31, 2025