Some teams have been stuck in NBA purgatory for years, with no clear path forward. While others are gearing up for deep playoff runs, long-term bottom-dwellers find themselves in a different kind of race — one for the best odds in the NBA Draft. But would even a top-tier prospect be enough to turn things around? Carmelo Anthony, whose playing days are behind him, has his sights set on a different kind of comeback.
Anthony, who was recently elected to join the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, recently expressed interest in ownership of a struggling franchise.
Could Carmelo Anthony Become an NBA Team Owner?
While the Western Conference is as tight as ever, and teams are fighting to stay out of the play-in spots, it seems that the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz are competing for the worst record in the league, for their Larry O’Brien trophy comes in the shape of a highly coveted Duke forward. Currently, the latter (16-60) is winning. The Wizards (17-59), however, are not far behind.
Now eliminated from playoff contention for the 2024-25 season, the Wizards have missed four consecutive playoffs since last securing the eighth seed in the 2020-21 season. Since then, they have only toppled further and further down the Eastern Conference.
A rebuild is one thing, but consistent mediocrity with no end in sight is another.
Even though the Washington faithful might be looking to Cooper Flagg for a glimpse of hope, a deus ex machina for their lackluster franchise, it takes more than even a generational player to lift an entire franchise out of a slump as bad as that of the Wizards.
The solution? Anthony, a former 10-time All-Star, has expressed an interest in team ownership of the Wizards.
Via his podcast “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony,” he stated something surprising: “I wanna buy the Wizards, first of all. Let me just put that out there. I’d be a great owner.”
Anthony’s Guide To Owning the Wizards
Not only is Anthony interested in the prospect, but it seems that he is more than prepared to tackle the task that is the Wizards. When confronted with why he would make a good owner, Anthony responds with a litany of reasons.
“[Because I’m a] former player, I understand players, I understand personnel. I understand being strategic. I understand how to build teams,” he said. “But I also understand what I don’t understand. I know what I don’t know. You also have to put people in those positions — president, GM — you put all the basketball acumen in those positions, and then you cover that with a business mind.”
Anthony’s approach seems logical enough, but NBA team ownership is no small feat. Michael Jordan recently sold the Charlotte Hornets in 2023 after being a majority owner for 13 years. The Hornets are two games above the Wizards and occupy the 14th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Anthony, however, seems to understand the enormity of the task at hand. The former player discusses the interaction between the business and basketball sides of team ownership as well as the importance of fan integration.
“The business mind could never question the basketball mind. There has to be a connection between the two,” Anthony said. “You will have to really tap into the actual community.”
When asked about how to actively involve the community in question when sports seem such an extravagance in today’s economy, Anthony’s response was surprisingly utilitarian. “Bring the fans to ‘em. Bring them to the practice facility. Let them see open practice, let them sit there. You really gotta give back.”
Whether or not the rest of the league will follow suit, Anthony’s approach, if implemented, should be music to Wizards’ fans ears.