mobile app bar

“If you were loyal to Damian Lillard then why did you join forces with LeBron James?”: NBA fans react to Carmelo Anthony praising the Blazers superstar

Samir Mehdi
Published

“If you were loyal to Damian Lillard then why did you join forces with LeBron James?”: NBA fans react to Carmelo Anthony praising the Blazers superstar

NBA fans call out Carmelo Anthony for leaving Damian Lillard for the Lakers when he claims to have built a real connection with the Blazers star. 

Carmelo Anthony was merely an afterthought following his short stint with the Houston Rockets. After only a handful of games, Daryl Morey let go of the former New York Knick and no other team bit on Meo for a while. Despite rumblings of Carmelo being bad for the locker room and that his playstyle was much too iso-heavy, the Portland Trailblazers took a chance on him. 

Damian Lillard and the Blazers, who were fresh off a run to the Western Conference Finals the year prior, started off the 2019-20 season in poor fashion. To boost their scoring, they brought along Carmelo Anthony and it’s safe to say that this addition helped them actually make the Playoffs as an eighth seed out West.

Also read: “Are y’all kidding me by not taking Michael Jordan?”: When Reggie Miller snagged the ‘GOAT’ after Charles Barkley hilariously drafted Allen Iverson in an all-time mock draft

He averaged 15.4 points during the 2020 season while shooting 39% from beyond the arc. The 2021 season saw him shoot 41% from three-point land while averaging a solid 13.4 points per game. 

Carmelo Anthony gets flack for praising Damian Lillard and subsequently leaving him for the Lakers. 

Carmelo Anthony recently appeared on the ‘All the Smoke’ podcast and talked about his time with the Portland Trailblazers for quite some time. During this part of the show, he claimed that he had always felt a connection to Portland and that Damian Lillard will go down as one of his top dogs, on and off the court. 

While most fans were glad to see Melo praise the Blazers superstar, some fans questioned him as to why he would leave Portland after praising it to such an extent.

Also read: “LeBron James and Russell Westbrook could never play together!”: Channing Frye makes a bold prediction about the Lakers’ ceiling ahead of next season

Many of these ‘fans’ do not realize that this episode of ‘All the Smoke’ was taped well before his decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Besides, Melo showed his loyalty to the Blazers by resigning with them prior to the 2020-21 NBA season.  

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

instagram-icon

Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

Share this article