Triple Olympic champion Carmelo Anthony has announced his retirement from basketball ©Getty Images

American basketball great Carmelo Anthony, a three-time Olympic champion, has announced his retirement at the age of 38.

Anthony enjoyed a 19-year career in the sport and established himself as one of the greatest scorers ever seen in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He was part of the United States teams which won gold at the Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Anthony also won bronze in Athens in 2004 and a World Championship medal of the same colour in Japan in 2006.

Playing at small forward or power forward, he was named as an NBA all-star 10 times, including eight years in a row between 2010 and 2017.

He was the third pick in the 2003 NBA Draft when he was selected by Denver Nuggets, a team he spent eight years with.

Anthony would later spend six years at his hometown club the New York Knicks, before spells at Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers.

He ended his career with the LA Lakers, playing what was to be his last game in April 2022.

In 2013, Anthony was the NBA's scoring champion while he earned a place on the NBA's 75th anniversary team in 2021.

His 28,289 career points puts him ninth on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

Despite his glittering career, Anthony never managed to win an NBA title, despite numerous appearances in the playoffs.

"I remember the days when I had nothing, just a ball on the court and a dream of something more," Anthony said in a retirement video. 

"But basketball was my outlet, my purpose was strong, my communities, the cities I represented with pride and the fans that supported me along the way.

"I am forever grateful for those people and places because they made me - Carmelo Anthony.

"But now the time has come for me to say goodbye - to the court where I made my name to the game that gave me purpose and pride, but this is a bittersweet goodbye to the NBA. 

Carmelo Anthony ended his career with the LA Lakers and played his final game last year ©Getty Images
Carmelo Anthony ended his career with the LA Lakers and played his final game last year ©Getty Images

"I am excited about what the future holds for me."

Four-time NBA champion and double Olympic gold medallist LeBron James, a team-mate of Anthony at the Lakers, was among those to pay tribute.

"You're such a legend and beyond my brother," he said.

"Congratulations on a helluva ride."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said: "Carmelo Anthony is one of the NBA's all-time great players and ambassadors. 

"We congratulate him on a remarkable 19-year career and look forward to seeing him in the Hall of Fame."