“It’s always special. I can’t even lie, it’s always special to be on the floor with a brother of mine.” In 2020, LeBron James said how he felt about facing Carmelo Anthony. They competed against each other since 2001 and have literally grown together and currently are watching their kids grow, too. Amidst all the love, comradery, and friendship, Melo detailed how different it was back in the day.

Speaking about the rivalry, his podcast co-host asked him if the media played any role in creating different narratives. “I think it’s biased a lot of times.” Carmelo Anthony said on his weekly podcast that most of the time players felt different from the rankings. He also stated that he had to work “10 times” harder for people to notice his performances.

To feel the love and warmth Carmelo Anthony would fall back to his roots. “I went straight to the love that I know and I was comfortable with, which was the streets, which was the hood, which was my people. And I went to that because that’s the only thing that I can fall back,” said the former player via 7 PM in Brooklyn. Melo led Syracuse to its first championship, however, it was LeBron who was termed the prodigy at the time.

In fact, in the 2003 draft, the Cleveland franchise selected the current Lakers superstar overall #1 pick. Carmelo Anthony was number 3 overall. After the rookie season, it was James who was selected as the Rookie of the Year. But it was Melo who averaged more points (21.0) and rebounds (6.1) than James.

Yet, it was LeBron who won it with 78 votes to Anthony’s 40, one of the closest races in the past 20 years. However, these setbacks did not stop the 10× NBA All-Star from scripting his dominance in the game.

Despite being friends, Carmelo Anthony created his own dynasty

In their debut match, Anthony played 39 minutes but only scored 14 points on 6-for-17 shooting. James played 41 minutes and had 11 rebounds and seven assists, but he only scored seven points and shot a measly 27 percent from the field. The Nuggets won that game, 93-89. This suggests that Carmelo Anthony was at the forefront in the beginning, but he always felt that people unnecessarily tried to pull him down.

That’s why one of the reasons that Melo spoke about not joining earlier with LeBron James gives a little more clarity. The Big 3 of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James dominated the league by 4 back-to-back finals and won 2 championships. Yes, and there was a real possibility for the 10x All-Star to join his friends. At the time, Carmelo Anthony was not ready to be a partner to somebody else. He wanted to be the main guy the team was built around.

“Because I was building my own sh– in Denver,” via the Podcast P, a month ago. Melo, who was young at the time, was not ready to sacrifice, and looking back at it now, the 40-year-old shares no regret. According to him, the “what-if” scenario felt good to talk about, but several factors behind the scenes were in play. And mentally, he was not sure if the plan would actually work.

While Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James shared a moment during the Olympics that fans loved, it was never the case back then as per Melo

“Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.”