Some people spend their lives chasing joy. For Carmelo Anthony, joy is a daily practice.“I try to practice peace every single day,” he says, leaning into the word like it’s a weight he’s learned to carry lightly. We’re speaking just months after his first-ballot Hall of Fame induction announcement—a career-crowning milestone that punctuates a 20-year stretch in the NBA and a lifelong dedication to the game he fell in love with as a child. But legacy, for this version of Melo, looks different. He’s still building, still evolving, still shaping this next chapter. Anthony’s goals no longer revolve around basketball-related titles and accolades.

“Back then, I was chasing legacy in one arena—basketball. That’s what I was focused on day-to-day,” he says. “Now, I’m working on tangible things to pass down. The focus is on utilizing that foundation to pass down the values of what I’ve built my legacy on.”

Anthony’s peace is grounded in presence. And presence is what drives him today—whether he’s blending wine in the Rhône Valley, checking in on his cannabis line’s East Coast rollout, or adjusting mic levels before recording the latest episode of 7PM in Brooklyn. In simplest terms, Anthony still remains busy.

He’s a podcast host, wine producer, cannabis entrepreneur, future studio analyst, investor, and fashion brand founder. Each venture is stitched together by something deeper than hustle. Joy, for Anthony, is a language. It’s not performative. It’s practiced—and his definition of success? “Being a great father. Waking up every day grateful. Working on these different endeavors and businesses, whether it makes a dollar or a hundred. That’s success to me.”

Anthony’s path to this kind of clarity wasn’t always linear. Instead of universal appreciation for his mastery in the mid-post, his meticulous footwork, or his uncanny knack for carving out space in phone-booth-like defensive pressure, the discourse around him often shifted elsewhere. For years, Carmelo Anthony was a polarizing player: an elite scorer whose midrange-heavy isolation style grew increasingly underappreciated as the analytics era altered the artistry on the floor. Layer on the weight that ring culture has placed on the game’s greats, and Anthony became a convenient target of criticism. 

But one rarely, if ever, heard him lament or ruminate on the criticism—and that attitude is something that’s remained to this day. “I knew what was important,” he says. “Developing, keeping my game sharp, and doing what I needed to do to stay on top of my game. It was all work for me. Anything else that came, it was always second fiddle.”

When it comes to the matter of achieving an ultimate goal (winning a championship) Anthony admits that the elusive title did feel like the missing piece—something critics would always hold against him. But age, perspective, and distance have changed the way he carries that weight. “[Lack of a title] doesn’t negate anything I’ve done. It doesn’t negate my journey, or the work I put in,” he states. “I rely on my impact. What impact did I leave behind?”

“Stay Melo” isn’t just a catchphrase for Anthony. It’s his compass. It’s why he wakes up smiling. It’s why his business model reads more like a belief system. “Calm in the midst of chaos,” he says. “That’s something I want to outlive me.”

That philosophy manifests in the details. His cannabis line, STAYME7O, recently launched in New York, with a portion of proceeds supporting nonprofit partners like NuProject and Last Prisoner Project. His wine label, VII(N) The Seventh Estate, is a slow-burn triumph of French elegance and storytelling. His cigars, VERSA VII, are set to debut this summer and reflect the craftsmanship of Kingmakers, a boutique producer in Nicaragua. None of it is for show.

“I like to be a one-stop shop,” he says. If I’m having something at the house, I want you to have my wine. I want you to smoke my cigars after dinner. If you roll up, be educated on what you’re consuming. I want you to see the art. Hear the music.” He pauses. “The details are in the pudding.”

That attention to atmosphere—the texture, the intention, the mood—isn’t new. Anthony credits his partnership with Jordan Brand and years obsessing over sneaker design with teaching him how to think about consumer experience. “It’s the same thing,” he says. “If you look at the industries I’m in and getting into, it’s wine, cannabis, cigars—it’s a lifestyle.”

In all of these avenues, everything all feels authentically Melo. Labeling these pursuits as “side projects” feels disingenuous. They are extensions of  an already robust identity. 

Nowhere is that more evident than in his work behind the mic and camera. 7PM in Brooklyn, his podcast with Joel Martinez, aka The Kid Mero, isn’t just a content play—it’s a confessional booth, a digital stoop, a space for lived wisdom, and laughter. “It’s therapeutic,” Anthony says. “It’s being able to be vulnerable to tell these stories from my perspective. Those are things that I could never do as an active basketball player. You would be frowned upon and shitted on.”

When asked about his upcoming role as a studio analyst for NBC’s NBA coverage, he draws a firm line. Anthony intends to contribute to the conversation about basketball, not use his television time to argue about petty details. “We’re in a heavy debate culture right now. But that divides us,” he says. “It’s time to get back to appreciation culture. Let’s promote the game, not tear it down.”

That theme—joy through respect—is central to his post-playing philosophy. “Appreciate the matchups. The players. The work. That’s what the fans really want.”

His production company, Creative 7, is applying the same mindset to storytelling. One recent piece, a Juneteenth video infused with historical resonance and cultural pride, blended visuals, music, and a quiet placement of VII(N) wine. But the point of the video wasn’t product. “It wasn’t about placement. It was about us,” he says. “It was just our culture, and our way of telling the story.”

He’s producing work that touches the soul, not just the algorithm. It’s also why he’s writing a book. The topic? Boundaries. Specifically, the power of saying no. “It’s hard for me to tell people no,” he admits. “But I realize the power of no.”

To Anthony, “no” isn’t necessarily a rejection. “I’m not telling you no because I don’t want to do something, or want to help you. It’s because I want to be really aligned with you on what you’re actually trying to do.”

When asked how he wants to be remembered, Anthony doesn’t blink.

“I want people to be like, “Man, Melo really figured it out and was super authentic,” he says. “That I stayed true. That what I gave people helped them navigate their lives in some way.” He’s quiet for a moment after that. Not because he’s unsure, but because the truth doesn’t need to be dressed up.

Toward the end of our time together, I ask if there’s something from his childhood that still brings him joy. He doesn’t take long to ponder.

“A kid can be happy with a button and a string,” he says. “So, why as an adult, do I have to make that difficult? Let me get back to the essence of that: the smaller things bringing me joy.”

It’s a perfect metaphor for the Carmelo Anthony of now—a man with global reach and local grounding. A man who knows how to celebrate the small wins and build them into something enduring.

Joy, after all, isn’t just a feeling. It’s a philosophy.

And Carmelo Anthony is living proof.

Photographed by Zam Ojukwu

Styled by Khalilah Beavers

Written by Christopher Cason

Grooming: Ryann Carter

Barber: Reggae Smith

Post House: B221 Studio

Lighting: Emmanuel Porquin

Director Of Photography: Leo Hsu

Colorist: John Dayot

Senior Colorist: Avery Niles

Color Producer: Vic Brandt

Market Editor: Nzinga Duverney

Photo & Video Assistants: Madison Headley and Lux Ngyuen

Styling Assistants: Keith Pearson and Nasir Williams

Location: Lucifer Lighting Showroom, NYC

‍