Knicks F Carmelo Anthony on Thursday said that there were "business reasons in addition to basketball ones that led him to re-sign" with the team this offseason, according to Neil Best of NEWSDAY. Anthony, speaking at the Bloomberg Sports Business Summit in Manhattan, said, "I just couldn't leave from that perspective. There were so many opportunities that I started to build upon here in New York City, business opportunities, different situations. I just felt if I was to leave, I would have to start all over in the next place, meet new people, build that foundation up once again, and it took me a lot to build that foundation and get it up and going to where it's at right now." Anthony "spoke at length at the summit about his new company, Melo 7 Tech Partners." He said, "I want to brand myself as the digital athlete." But he also "insisted his business interests will not be a distraction during the season" (NEWSDAY, 9/5). In N.Y., Fred Kerber notes Anthony "has started OrangeChef, aimed at creating 'the smart kitchen.'” His other startups "include Hullabalu, a children’s storytelling educational app, and SeatGeek, a ticket-buying search engine which has Eli and Peyton Manning as investors." Anthony said, "At the end of the day, we all know what’s my day job: basketball. That’s what my brand is built on, but I’m trying to take my brand to the next level, make it bigger, make it stronger" (N.Y. POST, 9/5).
