BESLA is honored to recognize Carmelo Anthony with the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Hall of Famer, NBA Legend, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

Hall of Famer, 10-time NBA All-Star, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Carmelo Anthony has led a storied career as a three-time Olympic gold medalist and top ten on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He recently has been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 as a first-ballot inductee. Carmelo will also join NBC Sports as a studio analyst when the NBA returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock this October. Anthony’s incredible career has continued to pave the way for his many other business ventures and philanthropic efforts on a global platform.

Anthony and his longtime business partner, Asani Swann, launched a global estate brand, VII(N) The Seventh Estate, committed to diversifying the industry and bringing new voices into the world of wine. Their inaugural vintage blend, Oath of Fidelity, which first was released in November 2022, is a 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Since then, the brand has released a diverse selection of wines to suit all tastes and price points VII(N) The Seventh Estate ensures there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Spurred by a passion for inclusive, purpose-driven content, Anthony also established Creative 7 alongside Swann as a global, multi-platform content company producing purpose-driven projects spanning television, film, audio, and digital content. In his latest project with Creative 7 and in partnership with Wave Sports + Entertainment, he executive produces and hosts 7 pm in Brooklyn, a top-charting viral digital series surrounding all things hoop and culture.

Carmelo recently ventured into the cannabis world and partnered with cannabis and brand royalty, Jesce Horton and Brandon Drew Jordan Pierce, to launch Grand National, a one-of-a-kind agency designed to empower cannabis companies who share their passion for culture, cultivation, and community. The first brand under the agency is STAYME7O Cannabis, available in retailers across Oregon and New York, which leverages the expertise of the organization and embodies the Grand National mission of empowering ventures aligned with their values, including increasing diversity and representation in the cannabis industry. In partnership with NuProject and Last Prisoner’s Project; a portion of the proceeds from all STAYME7O Cannabis products will support the nonprofit organizations assisting communities harmed by the war on drugs.

Anthony is a New York Times bestselling author with his memoir, Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised, which details the stories of his upbringing and the immeasurable odds he overcame to make it to where he is today. Social justice and equality have informed and continue to serve as the throughline for all of Anthony’s endeavors, including his work as co-founder of The Social Change Fund, which was created in response to the continued racial injustice across our country, and aims to support critical and timely issues impacting the Black community.