Carmelo Anthony Will Want To Forget This Incredibly Embarrassing Airball

Prior to exploding for 25 points in the second quarter, Carmelo Anthony was having a rough Thursday evening. To begin the night, the veteran forward was not selected as an NBA All-Star starter. That should not come as a surprise given that his counterparts, ranging from LeBron James to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler, are simply better basketball players at this point. However, Anthony’s non-selection snaps a streak of seven consecutive seasons in which he was voted in as a starter (he wasn’t even a snub) and his current situation with the New York Knicks has been well-documented.

Then, his on-court evening got off to a less than ideal start, and the play above kind of says it all. Anthony looked to complete about a five-foot jump shot against the Washington Wizards and, well, he came up short. Very, very short. For good measure, it did not appear as if Anthony saw his legs falter or even had that the ball slipped out of his hands on the release. In fact, this seemed to be just a run of the mill misfire and, given that no member of the Wizards was even within striking distance, it was a highly embarrassing moment for one of the game’s most prolific scorers.

In the grand scheme, Anthony probably shouldn’t worry about missing one short jumper (quite) badly, but this was an ugly one. On the bright side, Anthony did not let it get him down, going supernova to the tune of 25 points on 10 of 12 shooting within a 12-minute span before halftime. Shooters shoot, as they say, and Carmelo Anthony believes in that mantra, even when he leaves a five-footer so short that it doesn’t graze the rim.