LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have had a close friendship with each other for decades. From high school friends to teammates in Los Angeles, the two have a friendship they can swear by.
The former NBA player spoke at length about his relationship with James while speaking with famed comedian Kevin Hart on his “Kevin Hart’s Inside Out” show. Although they had met before, their friendship began at Oak Hill Academy, their high school, he said.
Melo and LeBron were two of the top picks in the 2003 draft, and the sense of competition between them seemed natural to the hosts.
Hart asked if they had any arguments when they met, “Does it have something to do with you?”
The 2013 scoring champion denied any dispute between him and the Lakers star and said LeBron James has not met him because there is no social media and because Carmelo Anthony is local.
“It wasn’t like fuck you. It was more like damn, I’m watching you, I’ve seen you, I’ve heard of you…and then we played each other in Oak Hill during All-Star Weekend in Jersey, and I was in Philly. That’s when we met… We just got together and sat at the top of the steps for three hours and started talking shit.”
The 10-time NBA All-Star said he and LeBron were looking for a brother and they found it in each other.
LeBron James once saved Carmelo Anthony’s life in the Bahamas
In 2015, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony vacationed in the Bahamas. After having a great time in the water, the Banana Boat crew returned to their boat.
However, LeBron couldn’t find Carmelo on the boat and started looking for him, and with his quick thinking, he saved his friend’s life.
“I saw the current was a little stronger than where we started…I just knew he wasn’t back in the boat with the rest of us, so I went out and looked for him. By the grace of God and by my strength and not being afraid of the water , I helped him back to the boat.”
Carmelo Anthony later said that when he called for help, Wade and Chris Paul thought he was joking.