Carmelo Anthony On Being A Laker: "I’ve Always Been Connected With This Team..."

New York Post

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Carmelo Anthony says he almost landed with the Knicks in 2021 free agency. It would have made a lot of sense, too, given his history with the organization.

But instead, Melo inked a deal to join LeBron James on the Lakers and it's a move he does not regret.

Speaking in an interview with SoleSavy, the multiple-time All-Star shared his thoughts about being a Laker and what it means to him to put on the Purple and Gold after all these years,

“It’s like a full circle. For so long, I’ve always been connected with the Lakers for some reason. Whether playing against them, friendship with Kobe. It was just always there or me having the opportunity to come here in free agency one of those years. So it was just I was always tied into it. But now was like, this is the time when I needed to come here. At this point in my career, what we’re trying to accomplish with the team that we have. It was perfect timing.”

It was Melo's long-time friend, LeBron James, who recruited him to L.A. during a conversation in the offseason.

“I know our friendship. I know our brotherhood that we have. I know the connection that we have. And over the years, we’ve kind of been dipping and dabbing at, ‘Oh let’s play together, let’s do this or let’s do that.’ But it wasn’t that. And at his point in time, where we both are in our careers, I think we both needed to hear that. I needed to hear, ‘I need you. I want you. Let’s go.’ I really needed to hear that affirmation. Whereas before it was just, ‘Yo, come on, I think this would be cool. I think this would be dope. Let’s make it happen.’ It was a different feeling. It was a different vibe at this point.”

James made the right move by pursuing Carmelo.

Anthony, 37, is currently having his best season since 2016-17. With averages of 16.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on 50% shooting, he has been a massive spark for the Lakers off the bench.

The team is 4-3 through their first 7 games.