Carmelo Anthony said last night he spoke with Earl Monroe to ask if he could wear the Pearl’s retired No. 15 in his honor.
Anthony, who wore No. 15 in Denver and at Syracuse, wore No. 7 in his Knicks’ debut last night. Anthony, who scored 27 points in the Knicks’ 114-108 victory over the Bucks, said he chose No. 7 for now because “single digits are hot,” his son’s birthday is March 7 and his high school number subtracted from his NBA number equals seven.
Anthony said his second choice would have been No. 22, his high school number. But that number, worn by the late Dave DeBusschere, is also retired.
According to a source, another reason Anthony chose No. 7 is because the Jordan Brand players almost always choose prime numbers for their jerseys.
There was speculation Anthony would take No. 30 for his idol Bernard King but felt it was too big.
As for 15, that number was retired twice — for Monroe and Dick McGuire.
Kelenna Azbuike, who has yet to suit up, had to change his jersey number from 7 to 17.