Carmelo Anthony Honors His Late Father in Hall of Fame Speech: ‘You Left This World Too Soon But You Never Left Me’

On one of the biggest nights of his life, Carmelo Anthony made sure to honor the man whose spirit still guides him.

During his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the 10-time NBA All-Star and 2018 inductee to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team took a heartfelt pause to dedicate his enshrinement to his late father, Carmelo Iriarte.

“To my father, Carmelo Iriarte. Boricua. You left this world too soon, but you never left me. Your name is my name. Your spirit walks with me in every step I take. You were a poet, an activist. You taught me, without even knowing, that words matter, that vision matters. Even in your absence, you gave me strength. In the silence, you gave me purpose,” Anthony said to the crowd.

Anthony, who grew up in Brooklyn before starring at Syracuse and going on to a 19-season NBA career, described his father’s influence as both intangible and everlasting.

“Though I didn’t get to grow with you, I grew because of you. You gave me the first example of what it means to carry fire and still speak with grace. Your blood runs in mine. Your dream lives through me. This Hall of Fame jacket that I receive, I’m not wearing it tonight. I wear it for the both of us,” he added.

Anthony’s Hall of Fame résumé speaks for itself: an NCAA championship at Syracuse, more than 28,000 NBA points, six All-NBA selections, and four Olympic medals with Team USA, where he still holds the record for most points in a single game.

Yet on Saturday night, he reminded everyone that legacy is about more than accolades; it’s about honoring the roots that shaped him.

By invoking his father’s poetry, activism, and enduring presence, Anthony tied his personal journey back to the cultural and familial foundation that has long influenced his game.

For him, the orange jacket wasn’t just a symbol of his individual achievement, but a shared victory with the man who inspired him from afar.

Anthony’s tribute was one of many emotional moments in a speech where he thanked his mother, Mary Anthony, for teaching him the meaning of sacrifice, and praised the strength of women who hold families together.

But it was his words to his father that lingered most, an acknowledgment that even absence can shape destiny.

As he closed, Anthony reminded fans and dreamers that greatness isn’t defined by championships or criticism, but by resilience and vision. And in that spirit, his father’s dream continues to live on through him.

Watch his full speech.