Despite recent comments from Carmelo Anthony accusing the Nuggets of intentionally giving Nikola Jokic the jersey No. 15 as a “petty maneuver” directed at Anthony, Jokic said Friday that he has worn No. 15 his entire life.
“In my hometown, I was wearing 15,” Jokic said when asked how he chose the number.
Anthony, whom the Nuggets drafted third overall in 2003, wore No. 15 for his seven and a half years in Denver before he requested a trade and was dealt to the Knicks in 2011. He has had a strained relationship with the Nuggets organization since. His comments about the jersey number were made on an episode of his that was published Thursday.
“It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, we got numbers to choose from.’ It was like, ‘Here, you got 15,'” Anthony said. “… What I believe is they gave him No. 15 to try to erase what I did.”
Jokic has won league MVP twice and NBA Finals MVP once during his illustrious career in Denver. He wore No. 15 in both youth basketball and while playing in the ABA League in Europe. When asked Friday if he was aware Anthony also wore the number in Denver, Jokic said, “Of course. He was a great player.”
Anthony retired in May 2023 after a 19-year career in which he was reputed as one of the best scorers of his generation, averaging 22.5 points per game. The Nuggets were in the middle of their playoff run to the 2023 NBA championship when the news broke.
“Carmelo is still loved throughout Denver,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said at the time. “He wore that jersey with pride. … He’s always welcome. Once a Nugget, always a Nugget. We’d love to have him around at any point in time.”
Anthony said during his podcast that he didn’t think Jokic was doing anything malicious or targeting Anthony when he selected No. 15, and that it should have been the team’s job to intervene and tell Jokic the number was off-limits. Anthony was insistent that he believes the Nuggets intentionally gave Jokic the number.
“That was a slap in the face,” Anthony said.
Anthony Rudolph also wore No. 15 for the Nuggets between Anthony’s time in Denver and Jokic’s.
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