LeBron James recants his journey with longtime friend and ex-teammate Carmelo Anthony after retiring

LeBron James reminisced on his journey alongside close friend Carmelo Anthony, who publicly announced his retirement from the NBA Monday. 

James told reporters following the Lakers’ playoff exit Monday night that he was aware of it last week, having been involved in the video-making process. 

‘It’s still bittersweet obviously. That’s one of my best friends — even before I got to this league’ he said. 

‘Sitting outside a hotel room at two or three o’clock in the morning… [talking about] what we could possibly do going forward, what we could possibly do for our mothers, what we could possibly do for our families if we stayed focused. 

‘We was a driving force for one another. We were locked at the hip from high school… he was always a motivating factor for me.’

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony began playing against each other in the league in 2003

James and Anthony were competitors and friends for the duration of their extensive careers

James finished the elimination game with 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists — but could not make it count on the final two possessions to keep the Lakers alive. 

The 38-year-old scored 31 points in the first quarter but could only add a further nine. James played in the entirety of Game 4 aside from a few seconds at the end of the first half. 

After an historic 20th season in the Association, ‘The King’ will not be adding to his four NBA titles. Following Anthony’s retirement, James is the lone member of the 2003 NBA Draft still in the league.

‘Definitely just a bittersweet moment to see today one of my great friends… [end] an amazing run. It’s an amazing accomplishment, amazing career. We’ll always be joined at the hip, no matter what.

Anthony and James were taken No. 3 and No. 1 overall respectively in what is remembered as one of the greatest drafts in recent history. Other notable players from the class include Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Kyle Korver. 

While James is still playing – looking to eventually do so alongside his eldest son Bronny, who recently committed to USC – the torch will soon be passed down to their heirs. 

Anthony’s son, Kiyan, and James Jr. have competed at the high school level. Kiyan is a member of the 2025 class and is a four-star recruit out of Glen Head, NY.  According to 247 Sports, he has offers from a range of schools including Tennessee, Indiana, Memphis, Illinois and his father’s alma mater, Syracuse. 

Anthony averaged 22.5 points in his 19 seasons, spending the bulk of those years with Denver and the New York Knicks. He was the NBA’s leading scorer with 28.7 points per game in 2012-13, when the Knicks won 54 games and the Atlantic Division title.

As the two climb in age, only James is left to carry the torch of the historic 2003 Draft class

Soon, their sons Bryce and Bronny James (L and C) and Kiyan Anthony (R) will continue their legacies. Bronny has committed to play college at USC while Bryce & Kiyan are in high school

James described Anthony’s retirement as ‘bittersweet’ during his postgame press conference

‘Melo’ spent his first 7.5 NBA seasons in Denver, becoming the third-leading scorer in franchise history. His Nuggets teams had seven consecutive winning seasons and earned seven playoff berths, but they advanced in the postseason just once, ending in that six-game conference finals loss to the Lakers in 2009. 

Anthony also played for Portland, Oklahoma City, Houston and ended his career with the Lakers last season. He went unsigned this year, and now his retirement is official.

James and Anthony were teammates briefly throughout their illustrious careers. Melo joined James in Tinseltown in August 2021. He played in 69 games through the 2021-22 season, averaging 13.3 points.

The pair fared better on the international stage, winning multiple gold medals for Team USA. He and James were both part of the US’ three-peat through the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic games. 

Anthony said in his retirement address that he’s looking forward to watching the development of Kiyan.

‘People ask what I believe my legacy is,’ Anthony said. ‘It´s not my feats on the court that come to mind, all the awards or praise. Because my story has always been more than basketball. My legacy, my son… I will forever continue through you. The time has come for you to carry this torch.’