Stefan Bondy: Carmelo Anthony wore his basketball joy on his face

It was the smile.

Even during those down years with the Knicks — those seasons of Phil Jackson’s triangle and dysfunction trickling from the top — the grin was never far from Carmelo Anthony.

It gave the viewer the sense, whether through watching his game or interacting with him in the locker room, that Anthony really enjoyed himself. He enjoyed playing the sport. He enjoyed his teammates. He enjoyed the media. He enjoyed stardom. He enjoyed New York City.

And that’s easier to root for. It’s easier to understand why an athlete on a nine-figure contract would smile. More relatable. So when Anthony was introduced at Madison Square Garden during Game 2 against Miami — just about three weeks before the future Hall of Famer announced his retirement — the arena exploded, as if those fans were pushing James Dolan through vocal force to retire No. 7. For over six seasons in orange and blue, he spoke to a generation of Knicks supporters with an isolation jumper and a smile.

You hate to drag a person down to prop somebody else up, but the contrast to Julius Randle is too stark and relevant to ignore. Anthony, who officially retired Monday on social media, was the anti-Randle. Not in their games, which have similarities. But in attitude.

One let the criticism roll off his back. The other, Randle, allows it to seep into his heart. To burrow and nest there. Anthony always had a thick skin. He took plenty of lumps in New York, sometimes responding with a sly comment or two. But always wearing a smile. Nothing was personal.

He stood in front of his locker after every game — after every defeat during the Jackson disaster — with an understanding that he’s the leader and spokesperson. Anthony’s peers adored the accountability, among other character traits. As I’ve been told by several folks who worked for the Knicks during Anthony’s time, “With other players, he was the most popular in the NBA. He’ll walk into a room and everybody gravitates. They love him..”

Anthony was also popular with the media. I started at The Daily News as an NBA beat reporter in 2010, and it felt like my first six years were consumed by Melo. The introduction was prolonged trade negotiations with Denver, an open battle between the Knicks and Nets to acquire the power forward.

In the middle of the rollercoaster trade talks, Anthony sat down with this cub reporter for an exclusive interview. He was too polite to big-time anybody. Years later at MSG, he was annoyed by a question from another reporter and ditched a scrum early. Within a minute, Anthony returned, apologized, and finished the interview.

Of course, these are the happier memories of a flawed player. There are many things Anthony could’ve done differently to win more games. He could’ve signed with the Knicks in free agency rather than force the franchise to unload all its assets in a trade. Anthony’s contract was a little bigger because of the maneuver, but the Knicks were depleted of pieces to build a contender around him.

He could’ve embraced playing off the ball or even off the bench earlier in his career. He could’ve better accepted Jeremy Lin’s stardom. He could’ve committed more to defense.

But you can’t argue with the numbers: Ninth overall in career scoring. Single-game scoring record for the Knicks. NCAA title. Three Olympic gold medals. Award-winning smile.