Carmelo Anthony: sportswriters say he looks like Magic Johnson on the court, but this teenage prodigy is earning a name of his own, one basket at a time

While Kobe Bryant's Law & Order--type saga dominates the NBA season. Carmelo Anthony stars in his own version of Fantasy Island.

Last April, after leading Syracuse University to the NCAA championship as a freshman, averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds a game, the now 19-year-old entered the NBA draft, where the Denver Nuggets selected him third overall. The 6-foot-8-inch forward is one of the most hyped prospects in years, bur he seems unfazed. "I just want to get on the court," he says. "I want to show what I'm capable of." It's this equanimity, and his smooth game, that has insiders recalling another player who left college early to join the NBA some 20 years ago. "The comparisons to Magic [Johnson] are a huge compliment," says Anthony. "He's my favorite player." Like his hero, Anthony sports an easy smile and a magnetic personality, which marketers and fans have been quick to notice. He recently signed a sponsorship deal with Nike's Jordan brand, and his Nuggets jersey is already among the NBA's top sellers.

Though his focus is "most definitely" on the game, Anthony admits to harboring aspirations beyond the hardwood. "Hopefully, one day I'll get in a movie," he says. And who would his dream co-star be? "Oh, you gotta go with Sanaa Lathan. And Halle Berry--yeah, I'd go with her, too."

Jarret McNeill is an editorial assistant for Interview.

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