Lakers Veteran Sends Strong Message on Expected Role

With 10 All-Star selections, a scoring title and multiple All-NBA selections on his resume, Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony will go down as one of the greats.

However, the 37-year-old knows he’s no spring chicken anymore and is keeping an open mind when it comes to his role going forward with his new squad, just as he did last year with the Trail Blazers.

“I had to swallow that ego. I had to swallow that pride,” said Anthony, who started just three games last season. “But I also had to use that ego and that pride to keep me on edge and keep me motivated. And I’ve accepted that. It played out well in Portland. Again, that was my first time doing it and experiencing that at that level. But I enjoyed it. It was fun, it was basketball and I was still able to do my thing and play ball and have fun and have the love for the game again.”

While he’s open to a bench role, Anthony still has major championship aspirations with the Lakers to fill the hole on his resume.

“I’m coming in with a championship on my mind,” Anthony said. “I think we all know that this is the one thing that I’m missing, right? This is the one thing that it keeps me up at night, it motivates me, because I don’t have it. I want that experience.”

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Anthony Responds to Critics Calling Lakers ‘Old’

Anthony has heard all the talk about the Lakers being “old” and he made it very clear how he feels about that criticism.

“We don’t care,” Anthony told reporters. “We don’t care. We make our own narrative.

“I like when people talk about the age. It gives a better story. I think it gives a better story. I think people forget, at the end of the day, it’s about basketball. You got to know how to play basketball. You got to have that experience. I think that’s what we bring at this point and time. Our talent, our skill, but also our experience.”

Anthony is no longer an All-Star caliber player but can still get buckets with the best of them. He averaged 13.4 points per game last season with the Portland Trail Blazers, playing just over 24 minutes per contest. He also shot over 40% from beyond. the arc last season, making him a welcome addition for a Lakers team in need of shooting. 

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LeBron Told Anthony ‘Now Is The Time’

Anthony and LeBron James are great friends off the court and have flirted with the idea of playing together before. It didn’t take a lot of convincing from James to get Anthony to join him in LA.

“Bron just came to me one time and said, ‘Yo, the time is now. I want you. We got to make this happen,'” Anthony said during his introductory news conference Monday. “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 were in two different lanes, we were on two different paths. And everything comes full circle, I’ll say.”

The Lakers are neck-and-neck with Brooklyn as the title favorite for next season.

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