“I Was In Church, In the Temple”: Carmelo Anthony Reflects on Going 1v1 Against Michael Jordan

One-on-one battles among NBA athletes make for an interesting barbershop talk, especially when two greats are involved. And who would not enjoy a good old-fashioned one-on-one between two of the most skilled ballers from their generation, Carmelo Anthony, and the GOAT himself? But when asked if he got the best of MJ, the Denver Nuggets legend seemed quite impressed by the encounter.

On the 7PM on Brooklyn podcast, Carmelo Anthony talked about his initial relationship with Michael Jordan and how it was being in a one-on-one situation with him.

Co-host Kid Mero brought up Anthony’s statement of never losing NBA ones. This automatically led him to ask Melo whether he was in a similar situation with MJ and if he got the best of him then. A shy Melo seemed hesitant in answering the question first. But after trying to come up with the best way to describe the scenario, this is what the former NBA star had to say.

“I prefer not to talk about it because that was a real moment. I was in Sanctuary, like in Church. I was in the Temple..You getting that one-on-one conversation…So, a lot of that was like, ‘yeah, we done play but that wasn’t like one-on-ones or me versus (Michael Jordan).”

Melo’s description of the one-on-one situations with Michael Jordan does not depict the two playing a game against one another. Instead, it was more of Michael Jordan’s ways and tactics of seeing what a young Carmelo Anthony had to offer in terms of his bag.

Being signed by the Jordan brand, MJ was graceful enough to give Melo some pointers for his game. As Melo mentioned before, Jordan had just retired from the league a couple of years ago, which meant that he was still aggressive and had a competitive mindset.

Melo opened up about his reasons for joining the Michael Jordan brand

In the same interview, Carmelo Anthony also shared an untold story of what made him sign with Michael Jordan’s brand way back when he was in High School. Despite rocking Adidas gear for most of his life and already having signed a deal with Nike, Melo still went with the Jordan brand as his final choice.

The first meeting with the GOAT was all it took for Carmelo Anthony to finalize his decision to sign with his brand. He even revealed how MJ gave him pointers that were catered to his game the first time they met.

“I told you, he taught me how to…The psychological aspect of how to score, how to break down scoring…He knew how to depict games and like, pick games apart and see. So, when I got with him, it was more individualized and catered to my game.”

While Melo may not have any NBA championships under his belt, he still has an impressive resume. A 10-time All-Star, a three-time Olympic Gold medalist, a two-time USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year, and the former 2013 NBA scoring champion as well. While he will be eligible for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2026, Melo has already cemented his place among the greats.