“I Hate It”: Misunderstood Like Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony Seeks Answers for Tainted Reputation

He was a prolific scorer on the court. Off it, Carmelo Anthony had a different image. Most found his aloof but passionate individual refreshing. Others think he’s not the ‘locker room guy.’ That is, not a mentor, teammate, or the best motivator. Regardless, on a special edition of The Right Time podcast, Melo was curious about where this misconception came from. It’s something, the podcast host claims, is being said about Kevin Durant too but from a distance.

“I hate it,” he said right away and is certain the rumors are not true. “I just want to know where it comes from.” He also knows that no one in the locker room who has witnessed his real personality – from the assistant coaches to even the chefs – has talked about him not fitting into ‘locker room culture.’ Instead, The Kid Mero believes that these opinions are coming from distant observers who can only imagine a locker room atmosphere from secondhand information.

The comedian says this false notion that followed Durant and is now on Anthony is that, “You ball and you did what you were doing basketball-wise but you were not the person to say something about it.” Melo also seems to agree that people wanted him to boast, defend himself and his game, and ‘be yourself,’ instead of letting others hype him.

For Kevin Durant, it would be a spat or two with Draymond Green and Steph Curry during his Dubs era. Though he and his former teammates downplayed it, speculation about KD ruining the locker room atmosphere followed him everywhere. For Melo, some incidents would give him an unfair rep.

Several stories but no concrete evidence

While with Knicks in 2017, he reacted to his team blowing a 10-point lead fiercely with a locker room scolding at his teammates. Reports in that time said he and the coach, Phil Jackson, didn’t get along. Melo was also known for having back-and-forths with his Celtics rival, Kevin Garnett who he tried to confront in a locker room. That kind of behavior was sort of frowned upon.

More stories circulated that he never listened to coaches, ran his own plays, was not a team player, and ruined team chemistry with his selfishness. Most NBA players were in his corner, so this wasn’t coming from them. Knicks fans might say he didn’t do enough to mentor Kristaps Porzingis though Porzingis has a vocal admiration for him.

But the personality analysis doesn’t change Melo’s resume. It doesn’t change Kevin Durant’s resume either. With the benefit of hindsight, do you think the reputation is made up or they don’t fit the locker room guy image?