Carmelo Anthony shares a special bond with LeBron James. The two were selected in the same draft about 20 years ago and eventually shared a locker room as well. But the highlight of their friendship is the ‘Banana Boat’ picture, along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul.
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But did you know there was a scary yet hilarious story behind that picture of how Bron saved Melo from drowning?
Anthony joined Rachel Nichols for the Open Run podcast in Paris. Nichols, who was aware of James saving his life, asked Melo to shed some light on it. And the former NBA star did not disappoint.
“I wasn’t dying. But yeah, he came and got me…Nah, he came and got me, like, he definitely, you know. Superman came and saved the day. It was like, ‘Man, what?’”
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Anthony was trying to swim through a heavy current and almost floated away. Had it not been for LBJ, Anthony may not have survived after all. But what Melo regrets the most is that it was LeBron who saved him when he would’ve preferred anyone else.
“I’m sitting there like, ‘Why it had to be him? Why couldn’t it be like D-Wade? You ain’t gon hear about from D-Wade. You ain’t gon hear about it.”
Anthony knew James would never let him forget about the time he saved his life. But over the years, Melo gained some perspective about the incident.
The Nuggets icon prefers doing things on his own, in his own way. So, while the crowd may go right, Melo would go left. And he realized every time he strayed away too far, he had friends in his life who would reel him back in.
And that is what his relationship is like with LeBron. The two were quick friends from draft night back in 2003. James and Anthony went on to face each other numerous times on the floor and even competed for the Rookie of the Year honors back in ‘03.
Over the years, both players switched teams and moved their entire families across the country. However, the love and respect they had for one another never faded. There was a time when the league had given up on Anthony.
It was James who found a spot for Melo on the Lakers’ roster. The two went from battling each other on the floor to sharing the court. And their relationship has only grown stronger over the years.
