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Carmelo Anthony Doesn’t Hold Back on LeBron James Rivalry

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated May 9, 2025 3:03 PM ET

In a recent episode of "7PM in Brooklyn," JR Smith joined his former teammate Carmelo Anthony to discuss their playing days and shared history.

From 2006 to 2011, Smith played with Anthony and the Denver Nuggets. The pair reunited with the New York Knicks from 2012 to 2015. During that 2015 season, Smith was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he joined LeBron James.

Through that media lens of "leaving" Anthony to "join" James, Anthony discussed his rivalry with James, who came up playing against each other going back to high school.

"It was deeper than that, for me," said Anthony. "It was deeper than that because I know the assignment. I know what this is about. I know where I'm at and I know where he's at..... I know no matter what, win, lose, or draw, it will always be competitive. ... The way it's always been since high school. We have always been coming up together, always been parallel to one another."

In the 2003 NBA Draft, the Cavaliers made James the No. 1 overall pick. At No. 3, after a stellar freshman season in which he won a national championship with Syracuse, Anthony was selected by the Denver Nuggets.

"We will always be connected together," Anthony continued. "Even if there's (expletive) going on in Cleveland that don't have nothing to do with me, somehow, some way, they're going to connect those dots and put a mirror to that. 'Melo's doing that over there, Melo ain't do this over here. Bron's doing this.' So it's always going to be that."

Anthony discussed how Smith won two titles with James, one in Cleveland and another with the Los Angeles Lakers. To close out his career, Anthony played one season with the Lakers, appearing in 69 games and mostly coming off the bench.

James and Anthony met twice in the postseason during their careers. The first was in 2012, when James' Miami Heat beat Anthony's New York Knicks in five games in the first round. The Heat would win the NBA Finals in five games against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Next, LeBron's Lakers beat Anthony's Portland Trail Blazers in five games of the first round. James and the Lakers would go on to win the title.

Anthony was 2-8 against James in the postseason. Anthony won no NBA titles, while James has won four.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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