‘Just Clicked Right Away’: Carmelo Anthony Explains How His Friendship With New Teammate LeBron James Blossomed Back in High School

Friendship rarely lasts as long as the one LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony share. 20-years and still going strong, the two made a bond with each other way even before they entered the league. They went from battling it out in high school to going face to face in the NBA. Their careers in the NBA have run parallel to each other for 17 seasons.

They were picked No. 1 and No. 3 in the 2003 NBA Draft and their relationship has kept growing. Now that Carmelo has agreed to join the Lakers, playing beside his brother. Here is a look into how it all began.

How did the journey of their brotherhood begin?

On Showtime Basketball, Carmelo Anthony was asked how LeBron and he became this close. He narrated, “When I get to Oak Hill, LeBron had been to Oak Hill the previous year. I was like, ‘Yo! I got to play against him. Is it on the schedule? We got to make it happen’. I had never seen him because back then, he was a pamphlet.”

“So we get to Jersey, and we’re playing a primetime shootout, And he comes in the hotel and we come in the hotel. He was like, ‘You Melo? and I was like Yeah!’ And we sat on the steps for hours the night before the game, just kicking it in, talking and we clicked from that moment. We just felt like we had similar backgrounds. Single parent home, broken family, growing up in the hood. That was a similar story.”

Melo explained even before basketball, this was all that they connected on. He also revealed, “I was looking for some type of relationship like that with somebody and he was looking for that as well. So, we came in each other’s lives at the right time. We were both looking for that brotherhood. That brother we can rely on and talk to. And we had that, we just clicked right away.”

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Carmelo Anthony is all set to play alongside LeBron James

It seems like Bron has pulled some strings and lured his friend to play with him as a Laker. The 36-year-old has reportedly signed a one-year deal with the purple and gold, and will not only play with LBJ but Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, and Dwight Howard.

The two have been on the same team when playing for Team USA and winning the gold medal. But this is the first time they will share a jersey in the NBA.

Apart from playing with his brother, his move to the Lakers increase his chances to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and winning an NBA championship. Melo’s role in the Portland Trail Blazers was vital, but can he fit this well with a team filled with young superstars? Well, we’ll have to wait to find out.

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