Carmelo thinks NBA's ring culture has shifted: 'Now it's the money'

Carmelo Anthony isn't bothered by the fact that he never won a championship during his NBA career.

In an interview with Zion Olojede of Complex, Anthony explained that he thinks the NBA's ring culture has changed in recent decades and that players now place more value in landing big contracts.

"No, it don't bother me because the game changed and the culture of the game changed," Anthony said about not owning a ring. "It was like in the '80s, '90s, when it was about ring culture. I think now it's the money. It's the bag. It's let me go get 200 (million) and rightfully so. But the focus is not just rings no more, you know what I mean?

"You still wanna win the championship but it's like I'm gonna get the 60 million before I go get the ring. So I just think that the mindset has shifted tremendously when it comes to ring culture. Like, there's no way that guys who haven't won the ring shouldn't still get the credit that they deserve."

Anthony, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, retired earlier this year after 19 seasons. He was a 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection during his career, and he currently sits ninth on the league's all-time scoring list with 28,289 points.