Among the signings the Los Angeles Lakers made this offseason, the one that got the most attention is that of Carmelo Anthony. The future Hall of Famer has seemingly been linked to the franchise for years now, but will finally put on the Purple and Gold and team up with one of his closest friends in LeBron James.
James and Anthony have always been extremely close even as they battled on the court and the two would regularly be seen in the offseasons both training together and on vacations. In fact, it was James who reached out to Anthony to come and join the Lakers this season before the front office even got in contact.
Because of their friendship, many expected the Lakers to add Anthony a couple of seasons ago as he remained a free agent when the 2019-20 season started, but it simply didn’t happen. Perhaps that is the reason why one young fan felt compelled to ask Carmelo if he and LeBron were still friends at a recent book signing, as Anthony recently shared on his personal Twitter page:
Hey @KingJames we cool?? pic.twitter.com/yJn3eJrh93
— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) September 21, 2021
This was simply a nice, wholesome moment from a child who is obviously a big fan of both players. While there has been nothing to suggest that there were ever any issues between James and Anthony, this young man wanted to be sure as he wore his LeBron Lakers shirt to meet Anthony. Sometimes the simplest things can make a difference and that young man was surely happy to hear that the two remain friends.
James even had a funny reaction of his own to the encounter:
Man I guess so!! ????. ????????????????
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 22, 2021
Anthony was doing a signing for his new book entitled ‘Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised: A memoir of survival and hope’. The book is a memoir of Anthony’s life, growing up in the streets of Baltimore, Maryland and persevering through to become the man he is today.
Anthony reveals interested teams in free agency
While Anthony did decide to join James with the Lakers, he had his fair share of options in free agency this summer, as he recently revealed.
Anthony noted that teams such as the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans all expressed interest in signing him. But ultimately, the chance to play with a friend and have a real chance to win his first NBA Championship overruled anything else those other franchises could offer him.
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