Getty Carmelo Anthony is teaming up with LeBron James for the L.A. Lakers.
New Los Angeles Lakers addition Carmelo Anthony admitted to a shift in his thinking over the offseason after moving on from the Portland Trail Blazers. Anthony noted that he had already mentally prepared to finish his career without winning a championship but that has all changed since joining LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.
During an interview on Posted Up With Chris Haynes, Anthony explained why a championship is now a “must-have” for him in Los Angeles. Anthony now admits to thinking about a championship “every second of every day.” The veteran forward was prepared to walk away from the game without a championship ring and be at peace without the accomplishment.
“I’m going to tell you what, if I didn’t go to the Lakers, then it wasn’t something that was heavy on me,” Anthony noted. “Because I’m like nah, regardless of what happens, I’ve done a lot, to say that I’m 19 years into the NBA, scoring titles, All-NBA teams, All-Star games, you name it. The only thing I didn’t have or I don’t have is a championship in the NBA. I’ve won on every level that I’ve played on, so I had to really come to grips and be at peace with, like, if I walk away from the game without it, I’m cool, like I’m cool regardless.”
Melo Admits His Championship Expectations Changed When He Joined the Lakers
It is not clear exactly how the Lakers will utilize Anthony as head coach Frank Vogel now has a lot of veterans at his disposal. Anthony transitioned from being the focal point of an offense to a good-shooting role player since reviving his career in Portland.
“If I’d have went back to New York, cool, alright we’re going to try to play for a championship,” Anthony continued. “Are we championship-ready, yet? No, maybe not. So that’s something that I was at peace with. Now that I’m with the Lakers, it’s a must-have, there’s no questions about it. We gotta get it. We gotta go get it, by any means, we have to go get it. So, that’s my mindset. If it wasn’t the Lakers, then cool, I’d have been at peace walking away from the game, tipping my hat, and smiling, being happy. I wouldn’t have been sad. Everybody else probably would’ve been throwing shots at me, but that ain’t nothing to me. But now, I know the situation that I’m in, what’s at stake. It’s go time now. I gotta think about it. I gotta think about it every second of every day.”
LeBron to Melo: ‘The Time Is Now’
Contrary to popular belief, Anthony shot down the notion that there was a big pitch meeting with James. The Lakers superstar simply made it clear to Anthony that the “time is now” for the good friends to finally team up together.
“Bron just came to me one time and said, ‘Yo, the time is now. I want you. We gotta make this happen,’” Anthony explained in August, per The Orange County Register’s Kyle Goon. “And I just felt like for right now, this is the best time. Most people would say we should’ve gotten together years ago early in our careers, but we was in two different lanes, we was on two different paths. And everything comes full circle, I’ll say.”