Carmelo Anthony is getting ready for his 20th NBA season, and while he’s an unrestricted free agent currently, one would expect him to be back in L.A. with the Lakers and his longtime friend and rival LeBron James.
James and Anthony both came into the league in 2003 as the first and third overall picks in that legendary draft, and as two of the last from it still in the league, their bond has only continued to grow. However, while both have the same short-term goal of winning a title, their long-term goals are not aligned when it comes to prolonging their careers. James has stated on numerous occasions that his plan is to play with his son, Bronny, when the eldest James son is eligible to join the NBA — with Bronny currently getting ready for his senior season of high school as a 4-star prospect.
While LeBron is hopeful of joining the ranks of professional father-son athlete duos to share the court or field together, Anthony doesn’t share the same goal. Anthony was seated courtside at Summer League on Monday with his son Kiyan, and when ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth asked about the possibility, Melo just kind of laughed and said he was not planning on trying to stay in the league until Kiyan is potentially there, noting at that point it’ll be time to “pass the torch.”
“No, no I do not.” – @carmeloanthony on if he has similar plans as LeBron to play with his son in the NBA.
Both Melo and LeBron are entering their 20th season. pic.twitter.com/H1hT6YHB9i
— Cassidy Hubbarth (@CassidyHubbarth) July 12, 2022
Given that Kiyan is just 15 years old, Melo would have to be in the league well into his 40s to make that happen, whereas LeBron might have that chance as soon as the 2024-25 season. Just thinking about playing that many more years had Melo chuckling to himself imagining what it’d take to wait until his son is NBA eligible.