One of the most exciting basketball players of the last 20 years is calling it a career, as Carmelo Anthony, 39, announced his retirement.

Anthony was born in New York City, and would play one year collegiately for Syracuse in 2002-03, where he led the Orange to a National Championship.  He was taken third overall that year in the NBA Draft (the most loaded class of all-time that also included LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh) by the Denver Nuggets.

Melo did not take long to become a scoring machine in the Mile High City, averaging over 20 Points per Game as a rookie, and for the next 13 years, he never finished a season below that threshold.  The Nuggets improved under Anthony, who went to four All-Star Games there, and took them to the 2009 Conference Finals.  

Growing frustrated in Denver, Anthony sought a trade, preferably to New York, which was granted in February of 2011.  Now the face of New York City basketball, Anthony had his best run, adding six more All-Star, and a Scoring Title (2012-13).  The Knicks did not win a championship with Melo, but he was by far and wide their best player while he was there.

Anthony looked for a trade in 2017, which he got, to Oklahoma City, but his game went into a steep decline.  He bounced over his final four years playing also for Houston, Portland and the Lakers, last playing in 2021-22.  

While an NBA Title never came to fruition for Anthony, he does have three Olympic Gold Medals with the United States.  He is also a member of the NBA 75^th Anniversary Team, and was chosen for six All-NBA Teams (two Second, and four Third).  Anthony leaves the game as the ninth-leading scorer (28, 289).

In our 2022-23 Pre-Season Hall of Fame Monitor of active players, Anthony was ranked at #13.

He is eligible for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2026, where he should be a first-ballot entrant.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Carmelo Anthony the best in his post-playing career.

The R&B Hall of Fame Class of 2023 has been announced, and it is one loaded group.

The Class comprises:

Aaliyah:  The late Aaliyah (who died from a plane crash at the age of 22 in 2001) was on the cusp of mega-stardom, having already crossed over to films.  “The Queen of Urban Pop” went to the top of the Mainstream Chart in 2001 “Try Again”, and had 11 Top Ten songs on the R&B Charts.

Gerald Alston:  Alston was already inducted into the R&B Hall as the lead singer of the Manhattans in 2015, and this is for his solo career, which yielded three top 40 Hits on the R&B Charts.

Ruby Andrews:  Andrews was an R&B star in the late 60s and early 70s, with her top tune being “Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over), which went #9 on the R&B Chart in 1967.

Brook Benton:  Benton was a major force on the R&B Chart throughout the late 50s, 60s and early 70s hitting number 1 seven times, the top ten 20 times.  He crossed over to the mainstream often, with eight top ten hit son the Billboard Top 100.

Peabo Bryson:  Bryson was the master of romantic hit songs in his day, and he won two Grammy Awards for his work.  He had nine top ten hits on the R&B Charts, with two number ones; “Show & Tell” and “Can You Stop the Rain”.  Bryson also topped the mainstream chart in 1992, with the theme from Aladdin, “A Whole New World”.

G.C. Cameron:  Cameron was the lead singer of the Spinners during the height of their Motown years, and remained with the label as a solo after the group left. 

The Debonaires:  Comprising of cousins, Joyce Wilson and Telma Hopkins, the Debonaires had their own musical career before joining Tony Orlando, as Tony Orlando & Dawn.

Jermaine Dupri:  Dupri had a number one record “Life in 1472” and number one song “I Think They Like Me” on the R&B Charts, but is best known for his work as a producer, generating 18 R&B number ones for a plethora of musical legends.

Gwen Foxx:  Foxx has one of the widest ranges of any inductee and has done a lot of background work supporting the Detroit music scene.

Hall & Oates:  Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, the Philadelphia-based duo had five number ones on the Mainstream Chart, one of which, “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” also topped the R&B Chart.

Thelma Houston:  Best known for her Grammy-winning smash, “Don’t Leave Me This Way”, Houston had a slew of other top 40 R&B hits.

Linda Jones:  Jones left us at the tender age of 27 in 1972, falling victim to a diabetic coma, but she left behind a brief, but powerful catalogue of most emotional soul singing you ever heard.

King Arthur:  Arthur was an early hip-hop and mix tape star.

Clyde McPhatter:  McPhatter was the first member of the two-time club in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, having been inducted as a solo, and with the Drifters.  This induction means that he accomplished the same feat in the R&B Hall.  

Sam Moore:  One half of the already inducted (both the Rock Hall and R&B Hall) Sam & Dave, Moore had a respectable solo career in his own right.

New Edition:  The group, which comprised of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Bobby Brown, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant, were huge I the 1980s, and all members would have separate success.  They had five number ones and 15 Top Ten hits on the R&B Charts.

Ronnie Nelson:  Nelson was a Detroit-based drummer who was the former Musical Director for the Temptations.

Priscilla Price:  Price had a solid run of R&B success in the 1970s.

Dee Dee Sharp:  Sharp is best known for her 1962 #1 R&B Hit, “Mashed Potato Time” and had three other top ten hits.

Dusty Springfield:  Springfield became a Rock and Roll Hall Fame in 1999, and enters mostly on the strength of her smash album, “Dusty in Memphis”.

The Stubbs Girls: This is the family of the legendary Levi Stubbs.

Sweet Boogie Productions:

Dee Dee Warwick:  The sister of Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee had eight top 40 R&B Hits throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

The ceremony is set to take place on September 24 at the Bridge Center in Detroit, Michigan.

The R&B Hall of Fame first came to existence in 2010.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the newest members of the R&B Hall of Fame.

A legend has left us, and while he was 87 years old, it could have been 1,000 and still felt too soon.

The man considered by many to be the finest football player that ever lived, Jim Brown, peacefully passed away last night.

Brown was a multi-sport superstar at the University of Syracuse, excelling not only on the gridiron, but in basketball, track and lacrosse.  A Unanimous All-American in 1956, the Cleveland Browns selected the Fullback with the sixth overall pick, and it is with the Browns where he spent the entirety of his nine-year career.

There had never been a more dominant offensive star in the NFL like Brown was. He won three MVPs and rushed for 12,313 yards, an inconceivable number for that time. Brown led the league in yards eight of the nine years he was in, was always chosen for the Pro Bowl, and he had 126 touchdowns in only 118 games.

Brown's rushing totals would be eclipsed, but the players who did it needed far more games. Brown is still the all-time leader in rushing yards per game (104.3), and in terms of his career numbers, Brown retired while still at the top of his game, so he could have easily padded his statistics had he continued to play.

Following his career, Brown became a successful actor, and was known for his work in the Civil Rights movement.  As important as he was on the field, Brown was just as vital off of it. 

His accolades include the College Football Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, and membership to the NFL 50^th, 75^th and 100^th Anniversary Team.  Brown also had his number retired by both the Browns and the University of Syracuse.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of Jim Brown.

One of the most influential and successful professional wrestlers in WWE history has left us with the passing of “Superstar” Billy Graham.  He was 79 years old.  Graham had been dealing with a myriad of health issues in recent months, most notably organ failure, and had been on life support for the last few days.

Born Wayne Coleman, Graham got into bodybuilding in the 1960s, and would train to be a pro wrestler in 1969 under Stu Hart in Calgary, Adopting the name of Billy Graham, (after his friend, Dr. Jerry Graham), he would add the more colorful moniker of “Superstar”, based on the successful play/film, Jesus Christ Superstar.  Graham achieved success in San Francisco and the American Wrestling Association, he ventured east to the World Wide Wrestling Federation and it was there where he became a legend.

Graham ended the WWWF Heavyweight Title run of Bruno Sammartino in 1977, holding it for a year until he dropped it to Bob Backlund.  A muscular figure when there were few, Graham had the charisma, the meanness, the size, and could have been a longer reigning champion, had Vince McMahon Sr. not kept his original plan to build up Backlund.  His look and style would be copied by dozens, among them, Hulk Hogan and Jesse “The Body” Ventura.

Following his World Title loss, Graham would wrestle for various promotions (including the WWF), and returned there in 1987 at the age of 44, but it was short-lived.  Years of steroid abuse caught up with Graham, and his body broke down.  He was used as a manager and later commentator, only to be quietly released in 1988.

Graham was a bitter man for years after, going as far to fabricate stories against Vince McMahon Jr. regarding steroids, but fences are almost always mended in wrestling, and Graham was welcomed back to the fold as a member of the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and family of “Superstar” Billy Graham.