Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker are living on almost parallel timeline in the NBA so are subject of frequent comparison. Both players are still active this 2016-17 season and they are still counted among the elites even after being tagged as veterans.
Parker have inched Melo in NBA appearances by just two years. He started his illustrious career in 2002. To count the years, Parker has a total of 15 NBA seasons in contrast to Melo's 13. He tallies 15 playoff appearances wile the latter has 10.
Now here is the fun part among comparisons, Parker boasts 4 NBA championships with San Antonio Spurs, Land of Basketball reported. To make up for the lack Melo has 4 Olympic medals in his repertoire, 3 of them gold while 1 is bronze. Though with more rings in his belt, Parker's 6 shies away from Anthony's 9 All-Star Games. Therefore, both are arguably equal under the category of championships and international exposure.
Then here goes the list of individual honors and awards. Melo is NBA's scoring leader in 2013 after averaging 28.7 points back then. However, Basketball Reference sets Parker apart in his staggering record of 57.1% three-point accuracy in 2007 when he won the NBA Finals MVP. Parker is the first European to bag this highly-coveted award.
NBA regular season statistics will settle the two protagonists in a see-saw battle. Melo's 24.9 points per game leads Parker's 16.6 in total average if ball conversion is the barometer. What the latter can use to counter this figure is selfless 5.9 assists per game compared to Melo who sports 3.2. Remember that the two are playing point guard position so assists made every game is desirable if traditional basketball is the basis.
To wrap things up, it is hard to tell which among Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker is the better player. Consider the two as masters of their own chosen field of basketball expertise. While Anthony piled 22 thousand points in his career, it is hard to discredit the deadlier accuracy Parker possess at .494 field goal percentage. What do you think? Comment below who among the two is your personal bet.