Carmelo Anthony Retires From NBA, 'Bittersweet Goodbye'

Carmelo Anthony -- one of the greatest offensive talents in NBA history -- is retiring from professional basketball ... and while he's excited about his future, he's calling the decision a "bittersweet goodbye."

The 10x All-Star shared the news in an Instagram video on Monday ... as he reflected on his basketball career by showing highlights of him playing in high school, college and the pros.

Of course, Anthony played his high school ball at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, then starred for Syracuse University, where he won an NCAA title in 2003.

The Nuggets selected Melo with the third overall pick in the '03 draft, which featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, arguably one of the deepest draft classes ever.

Anthony spent eight seasons in Denver, and while he never won a chip with the Nuggets, he did lead Denver to the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers in 2009.

When he was in Denver, Melo's battles against LeBron, Wade and Kobe Bryant endeared him to NBA fans and cemented his legacy as one of the game's best iso scorers.

Carmelo spent the second half of his career in New York with the Knicks, and he won the 2012-13 scoring crown after averaging a league-high 28.7 points per game that season.

Melo, who was voted to the NBA's 75th Anniversary team, was a member of the 2008 U.S. Men's Olympic basketball team, AKA the "Redeem Team," that won a gold medal in Beijing.

Melo scored over 28,000 points in his career, playing for the Nuggets, Knicks, Blazers, Lakers, Thunder and Rockets, and he retires in the top 10 for most points scored all time.