Carmelo Anthony Sister

Carmelo Anthony has left the Denver Nuggets to be with his family following the death of his sister and will not rejoin the team until after Christmas.

Michelle Anthony died of a pre-existing medical condition Tuesday in Baltimore. She had four children.

"Our entire organization supports Carmelo during this difficult time for him and his family," Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri said in a statement released by the team. "It is heartbreaking news, particularly during the holiday season."

Anthony has recently nursed a strained right elbow, sitting out the last two days of practice.

With several key players returning from injury in the near future -- including Kenyon Martin (knee) and Chauncey Billups (wrist) -- the Nuggets were hoping to see their roster fully intact for the first time this season, perhaps gaining insight into whether it can be a serious championship contender -- or if it'd be best to accelerate the rebuilding process by trading Anthony.

Those plans are obviously on hold until Anthony returns. After Wednesday's game against the Spurs, the Nuggets will travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Christmas Day before returning to Denver to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 26.