Carmelo Anthony confirmed that one of the NBA’s biggest “what ifs” almost became a reality.
Anthony revealed that he and LeBron James seriously discussed joining forces when they were still playing, and the duo is looking at the New York Knicks or Chicago Bulls as possible destinations.
According to Anthony, the original plan wasn’t for all four members of the legendary 2003 draft class to get together.
Instead, the idea was for Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form one partnership, while Anthony and James would form another big team elsewhere.
“Bron and I wanted it to be New York or Chicago,” Anthony said on Podcast P with Paul George. “Chicago was in the fold. If we get a place, let it be Chicago.”
If they were to go to Chicago, it would be around the same time Derrick Rose entered the league. In the 2010-11 season he led the Bulls to a league-best 62-20 record and was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player award, becoming the youngest MVP in league history at just 22 years old.
Rose, combined with Melo and LeBron would be absolutely cinematic.
In the end, neither state (NY or Chicago) happened.
Anthony ended up with the Knicks in 2011, and James famously took his talents to South Beach alongside Wade and Bosh, forming the Miami Heat’s Big Three and reshaping the league for years to come.
As for Chicago, the Bulls were unable to attract any champions despite being firmly in the mix in those discussions.
James and Anthony would end up being teammates later in their careers with the Los Angeles Lakers, but by then both players were past their prime years that would have produced one of the most interesting star pairings in NBA history.
Instead, the basketball world is left wondering what might have happened if two of the greatest players of their generation chose Chicago or New York and changed the history of the NBA.
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