Athletes often draw comparisons to artists, and basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony—who danced around defenses, innovated angles, and showed a delicate touch around the basket en route to scoring 28,289 points in his 19-year NBA career—counts as a master craftsman.
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who → draw → craftsman
So it’s only fitting that Anthony, like other professional athletes, is starting to make his mark as an art collector.
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Anthony → ’ → collector
Anthony—who owns works from the likes of Ernie Barnes, the former pro football player who went on to become a noted painter; South African portraitist Nelson Makamo; and the urban contemporary artist Cryptik—moved out of his New York City apartment into a suburban house in 2022 to give his vast collection more breathing space.
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who → own → space
How many pieces does he own?
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he → own → pieces
“I’ve stopped counting,” Anthony tells TIME.
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Anthony → stop → TIME
“I’m not one that goes out there to try to look for the trends, or to see what everybody else is doing.
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everybody → ’m → what
I’ve gotten more intentional on quality over quantity.”
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I → get → quantity
Anthony’s love for art came early, his taste shaped by the street graffiti and Earth, Wind & Fire album covers he noticed growing up in Brooklyn and Baltimore.
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he → come → Brooklyn
By the time he was drafted into the NBA in 2003, he was already familiar with Barnes, whose seminal 1976 work “The Sugar Shack,” depicting a joyous dance hall in the segregated South, had appeared on a Marvin Gaye album cover and in the credits of the 1970s hit sitcom Good Times.
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work → draft → sitcom
“How his artwork was implemented into the Black culture,” says Anthony, “was special to see.”
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Anthony → implement → culture
After Anthony joined the New York Knicks in 2011, his passion grew.
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passion → join → 2011
He listened to former players reminisce about traversing the SoHo art scene and collecting works by the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol.
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players → listen → Basquiat
Anthony started popping into art galleries on the road, and by the time he stopped playing in 2022, he’d amassed many of the works that now fill his home.
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that → start → home
In a busy post-NBA career (he’s also invested in wine, cannabis, apparel, and production companies), Anthony isn’t slowing down.
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Anthony → invest → wine
“Everybody is looking at you crazy,” he says.
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he → look → you
“‘Melo, what are you doing?’”
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you → do → what
With art, Anthony sees endless possibilities.
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Anthony → see → possibilities
He may attempt, at some point, to learn painting himself.
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He → attempt → painting
“The next step is to actually start to try to visualize stories and try it.”
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step → start → it
One day, he’d like to bring his collection to the public.
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he → like → public
Baltimore, where he moved when he was 8 years old.
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he → move → ?
“A lot of the art that I have comes from being emotionally attached to the city, and all things that I've been through,” says Anthony.
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Anthony → have → that
“To be able to start it there would mean a lot.”
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be → start → lot
The collector has advice for other athletes—or anyone, really—looking to take the art plunge.
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collector → have → plunge
“Art can be intimidating,” he says.
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he → say → ?
If you don't understand it right there, leave it and come back to it.
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you → understand → it
If it brings you back, then you know that's the piece.
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that → bring → you
That’s when you know it's genuine.”
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it → ’ → ?
The Aporia
