“Big Brother Said So”: When Kobe Bryant Shut Down Questions About Carmelo Anthony’s Potential Trade During 2011 All-Star Game

At his peak, Carmelo Anthony had a “general awareness” level of around 40% — which meant 4 out of 10 Americans knew who he was, which was way higher than the 27% nationwide average for a sports personality. He is also known for investing smartly, is something of a cultural icon, and is a seasoned media personality capable of tackling anything thrown at him.

But this wasn’t always the case. There was an occasion when he had to actually be rescued from an uncomfortable position in the media spotlight by Kobe Bryant. This was around the time he had signed with the New York Knicks in 2011, after an epic eight-year run with the Denver Nuggets.

Prior to the trade, there was a lot of media buzz over where the Syracuse alum might take his career. Melo was even questioned about his future during the 2011 All-Star Game. Fortunately, he had an angel in his corner to shut the questions down.

Famed reporter Craig Sager approached Melo on the bench in the third quarter of the All-Star showdown. He subtly snuck in a question about whether Melo had met with the Knicks as it was a hot topic of the season.

The then-Denver Nugget seemed prepared to answer, but Kobe Bryant popped his head on the screen and forcefully took over the interview on Melo’s behalf.

“He’s not allowed to answer that question,” Kobe declared. When Sager continued to linger and asked why, the Black Mamba replied, “Because I said so. Big Brother said so.” 

Kobe’s timing was impeccable, as Melo seemed like he was seconds away from spilling the details, but breathed a sigh of relief once “big brother” showed up.

Kobe standing in the way of Melo leaking insider details was an incredibly sweet moment. Anthony and Kobe, despite their intense Western Conference battles, always maintained a beautiful friendship off the court.

“At first, it was just all basketball, then over the years it became about friendship, then it became about family,” said Melo in 2020 on his relationship with Bryant.

Melo, following the aforementioned All-Star moment, would go on to have an exciting career at the Mecca, while the Mamba finished out his historic career for the Lakers. However, there was a point where they were nearly teammates in the Big Apple.

Bryant was once convinced that he would join the Knicks

Famed NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski recently appeared on Melo’s 7PM in Brooklyn podcast — where Kobe was brought up in conversation.

Wojnarowski then dropped a bombshell for Knicks fans as he revealed that the Mamba was very close to leaving La La Land for New York.

“He was convinced he was going to end up with the Knicks,” Woj recalled. “He goes, ‘They’re gonna amnesty me and no one is going to claim me on waivers and I’m gonna go sign with the Knicks.’ I said, ‘They’re not gonna amnesty you. They’ll burn this city down.”

Kobe remained with the Lakers, a team that Woj reiterated was the only team the Mamba wanted to play for. That didn’t mean a run as a Knickerbocker wasn’t on Kobe’s mind though.

Later in the video, Woj stated that Kobe would “fantasize” about playing in the Garden full-time. It makes sense why. Kobe once dropped 61 points in MSG and averaged 29.9 PPG at the historic venue. He dreamed of being a home player at the Mecca of Basketball.

What that could have been for the city that never sleeps!