Next month, the NBA is planning to come back in spectacular fashion thanks to a bubble city in Orlando, Florida. Only 22 teams are being invited to take part in the final 8 games of the regular season before the 16-team playoffs begin. One of the teams being invited is the Portland Trail Blazers who were infamously the only team opposed to the new format.
It seems as though Carmelo Anthony is one of the Blazers players who aren't exactly sold on the whole bubble city idea. While speaking to Ernie Johnson of TNT, Anthony revealed that there is still a lot the players don't know about the NBA's return and that he's not sold on anything. With this in mind, he hasn't committed to coming back and is weighing his options. At this point, it's a real possibility that he doesn't participate in the league's return.
“As far as actually playing and going back down into Orlando, I’m still up in the air a little bit because I really don’t, we don’t have all the details,” Anthony said. “We don’t know a lot of information, so until we have that, it’s hard to just commit to that 100 percent.”
Melo had to put in a lot of work before getting a second chance in the NBA so it's interesting to see him make this stand. Regardless, the NBA and the players still have a lot to discuss.
La La Anthony Wishes Carmelo A Happy Birthday With Hilarious Gambling Story
La La Anthony wrote a birthday message for her estranged husband, Carmelo Anthony, in which she recalled the first time they went to Vegas together.
Although the status of La La and Carmelo Anthony’s marriage is still up in the air, the possibly estranged spouses can still wish each a friendly happy birthday. On Friday (May 29th), La La penned a loving birthday message for Carmelo on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of the NBA player at a young age. In the post, La La tells Carmelo how special he is to her, possibly hinting that they’ve grown closer again since living in quarantine together. She also tells the story of the first time they went to Vegas together.
“Happy Birthday @carmeloanthony,” she wrote. “I met you when u were 20 yrs old lying to me telling me you were 21 until we went to Vegas & your ass couldn’t gamble ‼️ Today you were blessed to celebrate 36 years young. Time flies for real..it’s so crazy‼️ Thank you for being a blessing in our lives. I love you.” Since La La is nearly three years older than Carmelo, at the time that they met, she would have likely already been 23 years old.
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In the comments, Carmelo received a ton of birthday wishes from folks like Ciara, Fat Joe, Khloe Kardashian, Angie Martinez, and many more. “HBD Mel!! Love you bro!” Ciara wrote. “HAPPY BORNDAY MEL!” commented Kelly Rowland.
LaLa & Carmelo Anthony Are Quarantining Together
Lala Anthony confirms that she and her estranged husband Carmelo Anthony are in quarantine together with their son.
Quarantine is bringing people together, apparently, including estranged spouses. LaLa and Carmelo Anthony have surely had their ups and downs as a couple in the public eye but it appears that they’re together again in quarantine. In a recent interview, LaLa Anthony told Access Hollywood Daily that she and her family quickly left from the East Coast to Los Angeles after the coronavirus pandemic including Melo.
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“I’m on the West Coast. I have a bunch of my family with me. My son, obviously, is here. I was in New York, and I just felt like it was time to get out of New York,” she said. “I grabbed some of my nieces, family members, Kiyan — and we came out west to do this quarantine together. Melo — he’s here somewhere.”
Though the two were spotted together on Christmas, there was no confirmation that they are back together, nor did she necessarily confirm that in this interview. At the end of the day, for both Melo and Lala, it’s all about their son.
“It has actually been smooth sailing,” she said. “And to see my son so happy, even in the midst of what’s going on in the world; to me is what’s important and what matters to me. I feel really great about that.”
Check out La La’s interview below.
Jimmy Butler Tells Carmelo Anthony How Bulls Trade "Hurt" Him
Jimmy Butler was in Paris when he found out he was no longer on the Chicago Bulls.
Jimmy Butler has consistently proven himself to be one of the hardest-working players in the NBA over the last couple of seasons although his reputation is that of a player that doesn’t get along with his teammates. His tenure in Miami has disproven this very notion although there are some NBA executives who are still wary of the star.
Back in June of 2017, the Chicago Bulls decided to move on from Jimmy Butler and traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he lasted about a season. During an IG live session with Carmelo Anthony, Butler explained how he was with Melo and Dwyane Wade in Paris when he got the call that he was being dealt. As he explains, the whole situation hurt him dearly.
“Ya’ll helped me through that though,” Butler said. “I remember sitting at the dinner and ya’ll was like, ‘Yo, you’re still a helluva player. You’re gonna go do what you were doing in Chicago in Minnesota. You’re gonna change the culture there…I was hurt.”
Things ended up working out for Butler as he is now thriving on a young Miami Heat squad that could play spoiler in the Eastern Conference if the playoffs end up going on as planned. At this point, we’re sure Bulls fans wish they still had Butler on the roster.
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Stephen A. Smith Delivers Carmelo Anthony Pistons Hot Take
Stephen A. Smith theorized about what would have happened had Carmelo Anthony been drafted by the Detroit Pistons.
Carmelo Anthony is one of the most polarizing players in the entire NBA. For years, he has been known as a gifted scorer who hasn't had very much success when it comes to the postseason. After leaving the New York Knicks, Melo played for the Oklahoma City Thunder and eventually, the Houston Rockets. His career seemed all but over at the start of the season until the Portland Trail Blazers through him a lifeline. Now, Melo is in the midst of a resurgence and fans are loving it.
The star recently claimed that he would have won two NBA championships had he been drafted by the Detroit Pistons instead of the Denver Nuggets. On ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith gave his own analysis of the situation. As he explains in the clip below, Melo would have won at least one title although he thinks a second would have certainly been possible.
Smith makes an interesting point as the Eastern Conference was a tad bit weaker at the time. Melo had to get through Kobe Bryant and the Lakers as well as the San Antonio Spurs in order to make the Finals which during the mid to late 2000s, was an impossible task.
It's not good to dwell on what-ifs but it's certainly fun to think about what could have been, especially in relation to careers and the narratives that follow them.
Carmelo Anthony Recounts How LeBron James Saved His Life
Carmelo Anthony almost drowned during a Banana Boat getaway but LeBron was there to save him.
Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade have had their fair share of fun alongside LeBron James although some situations have proven to be a lot direr than others. Recently, Wade and Melo were on Instagram live where they reflected on their favorite Kobe Bryant stories while also giving some insight on other great stories. One of those tales involved the Banana Boat crew and one of their signature vacations.
In the clip below, Anthony recounts the time LeBron had to save his life. Melo describes wanting to go snorkeling and eventually, things went left. Next thing he knew, LeBron was jumping off of the boat and rushing into the water to drag him back with one arm.
"It was my fault though, I was still trying to see the last bit of the barracuda, snorkeling and all that," Anthony said. "I look up, the current is taking me to the middle of the ocean, like opposite from the boat ... It was windy, all type of shit was going on through my head, I'll be honest with you. Then I look up at the boat and I see 'Bron jump off the boat like he is MacGyver. … He jumped off the boat into the water. He was bringing me back with one arm."
Thankfully, LeBron was there to save the day. This will certainly go down as a legendary tale that further adds to LeBron's mystique. Hopefully, we get more such stories throughout the rest of the quarantine period.
Carmelo Anthony & Dwyane Wade Reflect On Favorite Kobe Stories
Kobe Bryant was a special player and Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade have plenty of stories to share.
Kobe Bryant is consistently talked about in the same breathe as infamous basketball stars like Michael Jordan and LeBron James. In the eyes of many, Kobe is one of the greatest basketball players of all time and unfortunately, he was taken from us way too soon. Ever since his tragic passing back in January, NBA players have been reminiscing about Kobe and all of the amazing memories he was able to provide his fans.
Yesterday, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony hopped on IG live where they gave some insight into their love of the Lakers legend. At one point, Melo told a story about the time he had to play against Bryant as a member of the Denver Nuggets. In the clip below, Melo says that Kobe refused to guard him until the fourth quarter and it led to a pretty entertaining battle.
“So, the game goes on and the fourth quarter comes. I mean he’s getting every call, he’s foulin’, they not callin’ shit. And he’s like, ‘I told you … Let’s go, let’s give the world what they want to see,” Anthony said. “He’s foulin’ me, grabbin’ me; he come down, I foul him hard … we just talkin’ trash. I had my braids done. The most disrespectful thing you can do is touch someone’s braids … He hit the bottom of my braids, like ‘Calm down, little bro.’ He little-bro’d me. He sonned me!”
Melo’s play eventually earned Kobe’s respect and the two had been friends since that incident. Wade couldn’t help but laugh as they both came to the conclusion that Kobe was one of the best to ever do it.
LeBron James Saved Carmelo Anthony After He Was Nearly Lost At Sea
LeBron James was praised as a hero after Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade recounted the story of a Bahamas vacation that almost went sour.
Iman Shumpert recently recounted how LeBron James has a “superpower” basketball IQ, and adding to his superhuman abilities is Carmelo Anthony with another story about the Los Angeles Lakers star. Carmelo and Dwyane Wade were on Instagram Live Friday evening (March 27), and during their split-screen conversation, they brought up an incident that occurred while they were on vacation.
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“That got me sweatin’ thinking ’bout that,” Carmelo said before asking Dwyane Wade where he was during the frightening moment. Wade set the record straight that he didn’t leave their boat. “Remember we jumped off the boat in the Bahamas. We went—everybody swam to the little grotto underneath,” Carmelo recalled. “We came out. All of y’all went to the boat and I’m… It’s was my fault, though. I’m still trying to see the last little bit of the barracuda snorkeling and all that. It was my fault.”
Then, Carmelo looked around and notices he was alone. “The current is taking me in the middle of the ocean. Like, opposite from the boat,” Melo added. Dwyane chimed in that no one could see him. “It was windy, all type of sh*t was going on through my head. Imma be honest with you. Then I look up at the boat and I see Bron jump off the boat like he is MacGuyver.”
The two friends laughed as Carmelo described his LeBron James rescue. “He was bringing me back with one arm. He swimming with the other arm and he carrying me in one arm… He saved my life.” Dwyane added that he’s told people that he’s watched as LeBron has done amazing things in the paint, but nothing tops seeing him jump in the ocean and swim to save Carmelo Anthony. Check out these two laughing about the experience below.
Iman Shumpert Praises LeBron James For His "Superpower" Basketball IQ
Iman Shumpert says that it’s amazing how LeBron James knows absolutely everything about all players, coaches, and staff in the NBA.
Love him or hate him, LeBron James has been hailed as one of the NBA’s greatest players of all time. The Akron, Ohio native is respected on and off of the court for his basketball skills, philanthropic efforts, altruistic nature, and of course, Taco Tuesday videos. His former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate, Iman Shumpert, sat down with Vlad TV to discuss what it was like ballin’ in the paint with the basketball icon.
Kevin C. Cox / Staff / Getty Images
Shumpert recalled moving form the New York Knicks to the Cavaliers and joining forces with LeBron. “It felt weird,” Shumpert said of the early days. “But Bron has a very genuine characteristic. It’s like, he has to share basketball knowledge. It might be his biggest superpower, his ability to get everybody on the same page. It’s actually kinda scary. He can explain this game forward and backward.”
The free-agent went on to call LeBron’s basketball IQ “unbelievable.” Shumpert said James knows the “playbook, knows where everybody’s supposed to be, know the other team’s coach’s playbook, style of coaching, how his ball club’s gonna play.” He added that it’s amazing that LeBron James can know intimate knowledge of every player’s strengths and weaknesses around the court and how their coaches are going to move because of Bron’s passion, skill, and talent of the game. “Make me feel like I didn’t do my homework!” Watch Iman Shumpert praise LeBron James below and check out what else he had to say about playing alongside Carmelo Anthony.
Carmelo Anthony Debuts Slick "Blazers" Air Jordan 34 PE
Take a closer look at Carmelo Anthony’s Portland Trail Blazers-inspired Air Jordan 34 exclusive.
The Air Jordan 34 is one of the best looking Air Jordans in recent memory (my personal opinion), and the brand has done an excellent job of rolling out exclusive colorways for their star athletes. This includes Zion Williamson’s “Bayou Boys” and “South Carolina” PEs, as well as Jayson Tatum’s “Lemonade” and “Taco Tuesday” exclusives.
Adding to the ever-growing list of Air Jordan 34 PEs is this Blazers-inspired colorway that Carmelo Anthony recently laced up in Portland.
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As you’d expect from any Blazers-themed sneaker, the kicks stick with the always popular black, white and red design. But what gives this sneaker even more Blazers vibes is the diagonal stripe detailing on the heel, referencing the design of Portland’s uniform. It’s certainly not the most intricate player exclusive we’ve seen, but sometimes simple works best and these definitely hit the mark.
Catch another look at Melo’s Blazers-themed Air Jordan 34s below, and click here to check out Jayson Tatum’s taco-inspired colorway.
