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Carmelo Anthony: Business interests played key role in decision to stay with Knicks

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / reuters

Carmelo Anthony has been adamant that his decision to re-sign with the New York Knicks wasn't about the money, but while the financial details of his new contract weren't paramount, he admitted other sources of income influenced his choice.

Anthony spoke to business leaders at the Bloomberg Sports Summit on Thursday and said his local financial ties played a role in his decision to stay.

"I just couldn't leave from that perspective," Anthony said, via Newsday. "There were so many opportunities that I started to build upon here in New York City, business opportunities, different situations."

The 2013 NBA scoring champion said leaving the city and the franchise would force him to restart many of those business interests.

"I just felt if I was to leave, I would have to start all over in the next place, meet new people, build that foundation up once again, and it took me a lot to build that foundation and get it up and going to where it's at right now."

Anthony signed a five-year, $124-million contract to remain with the Knicks in July. Team president Phil Jackson suggested Anthony left money on the table to re-sign.

Among Anthony's business interests are his new company, Melo7 Tech Partners, and ticket search engine SeatGeek, which Peyton and Eli Manning have also invested in.

"I want to brand myself as the digital athlete," Anthony said. "I really want to be the pioneer for that digital athlete, and when it comes to tech I want to be the face of that space."

The seven-time All-Star says if it was up to him, he'd prefer to never experience free agency again.

"I plan on ending my career here so it wasn't for me to go out there and try to strike a two-year deal and then have to go through this situation in two years," he said. "I'm not doing that [free agency] ever again. I would never do that again. But I did it and I experienced it and it's behind me now."

[H/T CBS Eye on Basketball]

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