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Melo 'can't be at peace' without winning title

NBA Photos / National Basketball Association / Getty

Carmelo Anthony would've been content retiring without a ring, but he now feels that's no longer a possibility after joining the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason in free agency.

"There's nothing that I'm trying to prove," Anthony said on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. "If I wouldn't have picked L.A., I would've been at peace walking away from the game knowing that I gave it everything I could, and I still couldn't win a championship. I would have been at peace with that.

"I would've been good. But now that I'm on the Lakers, I can't be at peace without winning the championship ... you gotta change your way of thinking. You gotta change your perspective."

Anthony remains a scoring threat entering his 19th NBA season. The 37-year-old averaged 13.4 points and shot a career-high 40.9% on 4.7 triples per game during the 2020-21 campaign.

The 10-time All-Star came off the bench for the first time in his career last season and will fill a similar role for the purple and gold.

Anthony is among a handful of veterans Los Angeles added to its roster this summer, and the six-time All-NBA selection is confident their collective age will work in the club's favor.

"We just know what we bring to the game and what we bring to the table, and I say we're wiser. ... We're not old," Anthony said. "Thirty-seven is young. Thirty-six is young.

"There's only old in the sports world, the basketball world. So like LeBron said - like other guys said - just watch and see. And I think people will enjoy the show."

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