Basketball Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Carmelo Anthony discussed the New York Knicks’ historic championship win, the unifying power of sports, and Timothée Chalamet’s superfan during a lively conversation with Variety Co-President and Co-Editor-in-Chief Ramin Setoudeh at Cannes Lions.
Speaking as part of Variety and Google TV’s “Industry Innovators Cocktail Hour” event on the rooftop of the Five Seas Hotel, the former Knicks player recalled interviewing Chalamet on Chalamet’s podcast “7pm in Brooklyn” in December.
“I actually gave him an award, my ‘favorite white boy’ award,” Anthony joked. “He was happy about it and he appreciated it because I highlighted what he really wanted in that moment.”
Asked by fellow New Yorker Setoude to pick his most famous fan, Anthony said, “We have the OGs, the Spike Leeds, the Ben Stillers of the world. And then we have the new generation, like Timothée Chalamet, who is running around representing the Knicks as best he can. And then we have Fat Joe, who has supported the Knicks for a long time.”
Anthony said that the Knicks’ eventual victory “reignited the city of New York, from sports to business to children. It feels like every industry has a new energy.”
“Honestly, New York is struggling and trying to get through the hump and collectively figure out what’s next,” Anthony added. “What the Knicks were able to do is prove that sports brings many things and people together. Sports brings everything together, and it may be one of the only things that brings everyone together like that.”
The athlete-turned-businessman has also talked about transitioning into podcast host, which he sees as an opportunity to become a “builder.” “I have an opportunity to build something, to build a community and add to the culture and be a true voice for our culture. I have that access and I can keep the doors open and allow people to come in and be a part of what’s really going on,” he said.
Anthony said his experience in entering the NBA as a rookie at age 19 and playing for the next 19 years gave him the tools to become a businessman. “I learned how to deal with organizations and organizational structures and understand what front offices and executives need to do to be successful as players,” he said. “I’ve been the face of a lot of brands. I’ve been the subject of a lot of stories. So now I’m able to go out, close the door, come to this side and build something with that perspective and experience.”
The podcasting space is just one of the many areas Anthony has explored in recent years, with the goal of creating “an ecosystem where everything flows together, from wine to cigars to production.”
He joked that his motivation for starting his wine company, The 7th Estate, was the fact that he was “tired of spending money on wine.” But in reality, it’s a “passion project” for the athlete. “I travel, drink wine with people, and learn. And I thought, ‘What if we could build experiences and communities out of grapes?'”
Anthony recently attended the Tribeca Film Festival with his 19-year-old son Kiyan to screen the documentary biopic Born Mero, directed by Jake Rogal and produced through Creative 7 Productions. The Doctor sees Anthony reflect on his life and accomplishments as a Hall of Famer, as well as his relationship with Kiyan, who plays basketball for the Syracuse Orange.
“I couldn’t tell my story while I was still on the journey. I had to wait until it was over. Then I had to go back and put it all together with some perspective,” he said, adding that the doc also gave him and his partners the urge to rebrand their media company and start producing.
“My story has been written about me over the past 20 years, and now I have the opportunity to take control of that narrative. I’ve been able to show the people behind the scenes what it’s like to be a man, a businessman, a father, a friend, a son,” he said. “In my 19 years, I can’t tell this story without talking about my son’s journey, because he was a part of it. I closed one door by going into the Hall of Fame, and he’s about to follow in the same footsteps and open another door. He went to Syracuse, played basketball there, and carved out his own path.”
