Back in 2003, there was a serious debate about whether the Cleveland Cavaliers should take Carmelo Anthony over LeBron Jamesin the NBA Draft. They were the two best prospects in the world and were far ahead of the rest of the competition.
Both were just way better than the rest of the pack, and the time they clashed in high school was one of the most expected meetings in the history of youth basketball. Then, Melo went on to dominate at Syracuse, while the slightly younger LeBron kept doing his thing at St. Vincent – St. Mary’s High School.
Draft day came and, as you know by now, LeBron went first-overall to the Cavaliers, while Melo fell a couple of spots below to the Denver Nuggets. And ever since, their careers have been pretty much tied.
Carmelo Anthony Says He Became Friends With LeBron James Because They Came From The Same Background
Anthony and James developed a close friendship even before making it to the NBA, a friendship that lives up to this day. Recently, Melo opened up on how they became so close when they were just teenagers:
“When I get to Oak, LeBron happened to be in Oak the previous year. I’m like, I gotta play against him, it’s in the schedule. We gotta make it happen,” Anthony said on All The Smoke.
“We get the jersey, we get to the prime-time shootout and we come in the hotel, and… he… you Melo? Yeah! It was All-Star weekend in Philly too. And we sat on the steps for hours the night before that game. I don’t know nothing about you dog, you don’t know nothing about me. We clicked in after that moment, we just felt like we’re from similar backgrounds, similar home, broken family, grown up in the hood. So we connected for that, before basketball. I was looking for that type of relationship… brotherhood,” Melo concluded.
Fast-forward to today and, nearly 20 years later, Anthony and James will play together in the NBA for the first time in their careers. And while both went on to build completely different legacies, their résumés will eventually end in the very same place: the Hall of Fame.