LeBron James Wants to Play with Carmelo Anthony
If he has it his way, LeBron James will play on the same team as current New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony for at least one season before their careers end. James hopes Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade can join them.
Whether fair or foul, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James will forever be compared. Widely regarded as the Top 2 prospects at the time of the 2003 NBA Draft, many debated whether Anthony’s pro-ready skill set or James’ all-time upside were more deserving of the No. 1 pick.
James inevitably went No. 1 overall to his home-state Cleveland Cavaliers, while Carmelo Anthony was selected at No. 3 by the Denver Nuggets.
James has two championship rings, a pair of Finals MVP awards, four regular season MVP honors, and a scoring title, amongst other accolades. Anthony has a scoring title, as well, but has never won an MVP award or reached the NBA Finals.
While that may be important information to the average basketball fan, Anthony and James don’t seem to care. All the latter hopes to do is play with Anthony.
According to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, James is hoping a team can be constructed with all four members of their brotherhood—Anthony, James, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade—before they retire.
"“I really hope that, before our career is over, we can all play together,” James said. “At least one, maybe one or two seasons—me, Melo, D-Wade, CP—we can get a year in. I would actually take a pay cut to do that.”"
It would be incredible to watch from a basketball perspective, but there’s no question that basketball purists would lose their minds.
Anthony, James, Paul, and Wade are all over 30, which would likely alleviate some of the sting. Much like how the Boston Celtics were eventually forgiven for building a Big Three, that quartet of superstars could come together past their prime and face less backlash than they would’ve in their younger years.
The results would be unpredictable, but there’s no question that a team with four Hall of Fame locks would sell out arenas, draw incredible ratings, and, at the very least, make the playoffs.
This may seem like a non-story, but if this is something that the four close friends hope to one day make a reality, then one can’t help but wonder where it would happen. Wade’s Miami Heat come to mind, as do Paul’s Los Angeles Clippers, and even James’ Cleveland Cavaliers are a possibility.
There simply aren’t many cities better suited to play home to a superstar-studded roster than New York.
The New York Knicks are no strangers to big-name players, although most of the franchise’s greats were organically acquired through the NBA Draft. Having a roster consisting of Anthony, James, Paul, and Wade would require significant pay cuts, a calming voice in the front office—hello, Phil Jackson—and a head coach who will hold their own and have job security.
A group as close as this may hold their egos in check, but strong influences in the front office and on the coaching staff are vital, as Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra established in Miami.
The latter has yet to be found in New York.
This story means very little in the short-term, as James is focused on winning a championship for his home-state Cavaliers. As said players near the end of their respective primes, however, one can’t help but think they’ll be looking for ways to win more championships.
In Anthony and Paul’s cases, both could still be searching for a first career ring.
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If this seemingly unrealistic dream ever does come to fruition, don’t rule New York out as a potential destination. Don’t hold your breath for it, either.