Carmelo Anthony of the Portland Trail Blazers smiles in the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings during their game at Moda Center on December 04, 2019 in Portland, Oregon.

Carmelo Anthony admitted Tuesday he was coming to terms with officially retiring from the NBA before the Portland Trail Blazers called with a playing opportunity.

Instead of leaving, the 35-year-old Anthony has made a triumphant return, decorated with Western Conference player of the week honors on Monday.

"I was ready to walk away, yeah," Anthony said on ESPN's "The Jump" NBA program.

"It was hard. But there came a point when I was, like, 'You know what? I've given a lot to this game. I played 15, 16 years in this game. I'm ready to give it up, because I just knew that, at that point in time from a basketball standpoint, that narrative ... it was already out there."

Since Anthony arrived, the Blazers have gone 3-3. The veteran has averaged 17.7 points since his arrival, including games of 25 and 23 points in victories against the Chicago Bulls last week.

Now in his 17th season, Anthony has averaged 24.0 points in his 1,070-game career.