Carmelo Anthony‘s love for Rolexes is well known. Only last year, he was spotted on Kevin Hart’s podcast with an 18-karat rose gold Rolex Day-Date 40 and he has an extensive Rolex collection. Not only this, Anthony, once had a novel idea in order to spur his Denver Nuggets teammates to success by promising to gift them Rolexes, if they made it to the playoffs. 

Recently, we witnessed Nikola Jokic promising his compatriots Rolex watches if they defeated the US Men’s team at the Paris Olympics. However, nearly twenty years before Jokic, Anthony had the same idea for his Nuggets team, promising “12 Rolexes” if they reached the postseason. This wasn’t going to be easy since it had been almost a decade since the Denver outfit had an extended run, but they surprised many people along the way and delivered.

In a conversation with UBS at the House of Craft last month, the avid collector said that when he got his first Rolex, he realized it had a “different aura and a different swag.” Anthony then had a plan to motivate the Denver players in their quest to reach the playoffs.

The 10x NBA All-Star added, “I promised my team at this point in time I said listen you guys just won 18 games the year before. If we make the playoffs, I get everybody a Rolex and it came down to the last game of the season. So we wound up winning the game and making it to the playoffs. So I tried to scoot on by like I didn’t know like I forgot but I had to deliver 12 Rolexes to my team. But it was worth it.”  

Anthony made the purchase in a Denver store, where he purchased his first Rolex. During the interview, he shared that he had gone to a showroom and asked to see watches within a budget he wanted to spend on his teammates.

Anthony has been a watch collector for a long time and has some unique timepieces in his collection, but one of his most prized possessions is the Audemars Piguet gifted to him by LeBron James, which is reportedly priced at $50,000. Another of his unique watches is the iconic Big Pilot Edition Muhammad Ali. As a fan of the iconic boxer, I believe this particular watch means a lot to Anthony.

During his appearance at the House of Craft, he was wearing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Volcano. Known for his love of Rolexes, he has a pair of one of Rolex’s largest watches, the Rolex Yacht-Master II. Another stunning timepiece that he flaunts is the 60th-anniversary edition of the Rolex Day-Date, which flaunts a bright olive green dial. He was also spotted wearing the watch during the USA-Serbia Semifinal Game in the Paris Olympics.

He also owns a Rolex Sky-Dweller, that comes with a dual-time display and was designed for avid travelers. Melo also has a Hublot Ferrari which he describes as one of his fun pieces. Anthony also has a Tourbillon watch, the Portuguese Tourbillon Mystère Squelette, which he describes as the “best one.”

Seeing his love for extravagant timepieces, it is no surprise that he made the Rolex promise to his Denver teammates back in the day. And Nikola Jokic, himself of the Nuggets, made a similar promise to his national team. Just like the NBA legend, the 6x NBA All-Star kept his word.

Nikola Jokic spends $375,500 on teammates 

Jokic went all out to motivate his teammates, surprising them with a six-figure gesture. Apparently, Jokic had promised to buy his team Rolex watches if they won over the USBMNT in the Paris Summer Games. While they took home the bronze after a tough loss to the USA.

Serbia met the USA in the knockout Semi Finals played at the Bercy Arena only to lose by a close 95-91 margin. In the showdown, it felt like the game was under Serbia’s dominance from the beginning. However, Team USA showed up in the final quarter to advance the opponents. In the matchup, Joker made 17 points on 41% shooting from the field but made 0 of his 6 attempts from beyond the arc. He also helped the team with 5 rebounds and 11 assists but had to settle for a bronze, winning 93-83 over the Germans.

“It was a good match. Probably the biggest defeat of my career. [We had a] big chance. In the end, they beat us. People from the stands will probably see it as a normal defeat, but for those who played, it was certainly one of the toughest defeats in our careers,” the Denver Nuggets star Jokić said to Eurohoops after the loss. Regardless, the bronze accomplishment was enough to celebrate.

He gifted each of his Olympic teammates a Cosmograph Daytona watch. This piece was valued at $32,500, bringing the total to a staggering $357,000. Certainly, Jokic’s gesture was quite grand. The Serbian player boasts an estimated net worth of $80 million, he is currently on a five-year contract worth more than $250 million. Furthermore, he has secured lucrative endorsement deals with brands like Western Union, Panini, and Nike. It will be safe to consider these two gestures as one of the most expensive motivations.