It looked like Carmelo Anthony’s NBA career was over. The veteran forward had been out of the league for more than a year following a brief and ineffective stint with the Houston Rockets last season, where the team was outscored by 63 points in his 294 minutes before release. This followed a disappointing season with the Oklahoma City Thunder a year prior, when Anthony posted the lowest true shooting percentage of his career and bristled at coming off the bench.

Anthony finally found the opportunity he had been openly campaigning in Portland after agreeing to a non-guaranteed deal with the Trail Blazers. The Blazers are giving him a chance out of desperation after starting the year 4-8 while decimated by injuries despite MVP-caliber play by Damian Lillard.

Anthony is one of the greatest scorers of his generation, but at 35 years old, NBA teams seemed in agreement that the game had passed him by. If front offices no longer love Anthony, his peers certainly still do. News of his signing caused an outpouring of admiration from NBA players and other prominent athletes, while also earning the approval of Lillard.

Melo’s signing was celebrated by other athletes

Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and many more were happy to see Anthony get signed by the Blazers.

Welcome back Melo — Rudy Gay (@RudyGay) November 15, 2019

MELO FREE!! Congrats OG @carmeloanthony — Bobby BP Portis (@BPortistime) November 15, 2019

Welcome back @carmeloanthony the league missed you OG ✊ — Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges) November 15, 2019

Damn this fight taking away from Melo shine ‍♂️ — Todd Gurley II (@TG3II) November 15, 2019

(Gurley, a running back for the Los Angles Rams, was referencing the brawl that marred the end of the Browns-Steelers game)

Anthony seems particularly revered throughout sports, both from the players he entered the league with and the latest generation of stars. Why does he still resonate with other athletes? We have a few theories.

Why Melo is still so revered