Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are one step closer to going into the Basketball Hall of Fame. If all goes well, they might get in twice. Anthony and Howard were among the finalists announced Friday by the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame for enshrinement as part of the class of 2025.

A formality was made official Friday night when Carmelo Anthony, arguably the greatest Knick since Patrick Ewing, was named a finalist for the Naismith Hall of Fame.

As he took that step closer to the orange jacket on his first ballot, Carmelo Anthony received a strong endorsement from the legendary executive who had to face the forward throughout his career.