Springfield, Mass. – He ascended the stairs of Symphony Hall to a chorus of “Let’s Go Or-ange.”

Carmelo Anthony was the last of the honorees Saturday night to arrive for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He drove up in a large, black SUV and after interviewing with a TV crew, he gathered his people for photos on the red carpet, then walked up the steps with his son, Kiyan, by his side.

“That’s the next generation Orange right there,” somebody yelled from the sidelines.

But on Saturday night, in a room full of basketball dignitaries, Carmelo Anthony very much represented the present.

The man who steered Syracuse to its one and only national championship in 2003 gave a powerful, emotional speech that was at once defiant and thankful, hopeful and reflective.

Before h

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