Knicks' Carmelo Anthony lost weight to extend length of NBA career

Based off an Instragram picture he posted on Monday, Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony has lost a significant amount of weight this summer.

The photo of the slimmed-down Melo shocked NBA fans and many wondered why Anthony would drop so many pounds.

Well, it appears we have our answer. Carmelo’s trainer spoke to ESPNNewYork.com and shared the prolific scorer’s motives.

"“In anything, you get older and getting leaner and lighter helps with the longevity of your career,” Anthony’s trainer, Idan Ravin, told ESPNNewYork.com in a phone conversation Thursday afternoon.“He’s played a lot of years,” Ravin added. “He puts a lot of mileage on his legs, so the leaner and lighter you are, obviously the better.”"

Anthony might still be at the top of his game (he averaged 27.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season), but at 30 years old he’s starting to getting up there in age, so this makes a lot of sense.

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However, Anthony’s trainer wouldn’t exactly reveal what Melo’s been up to.

"“He’s just been very meticulous about his diet and his workout,” said Ravin, who has trained Carmelo since he entered the NBA in 2003. “We’ve been very consistent throughout the summer and he’s been very focused. [There are] a bunch of new folks coming in [Phil Jackson, Derek Fisher] who are very bright and very accomplished and I know he wants to have an amazing year. Every summer he’s committed and we always try to tweak something and do something a little bit different. I can’t really go into what that is but … his weight loss and his fitness is a testament to his commitment.”"

The Knicks won just 37 games last season and are going to need a monster year from Anthony to turn things around. Perhaps this weight loss is the first step.

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Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony lost weight to extend length of NBA career

By Sam Richmond | Aug 15, 2014