Carmelo Anthony doesn’t mention LeBron among favorite NBA teammates, but there’s a good reason

NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony recently reflected on some of his favorite teammates throughout his career, notably leaving out longtime friend and former teammate LeBron James during a conversation with D.J. Siddiqi of Casino.ca.

Anthony, however, appeared to focus his answers on teammates with whom he spent extended stretches during his prime years rather than close personal friendships or short-term pairings later in his career.

When asked about his favorite teammates, Anthony pointed to several former teammates from his time with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.

“I had a lot of teammates. I don’t know man, it’s hard, man. Every year it was different,” Anthony said. “Guys that were with me for years, like J.R. Smith, the Kenyon Martins, Marcus Camby. Andre Miller was a really good teammate. The guys who were in Denver, we all had a really good relationship, really good vibe, because we grew together. AI was one of my favorite teammates. Chauncey Billups was one of my favorite teammates.”

Anthony continued by explaining how his strongest basketball relationships often developed through shared experiences and long-term chemistry.

“That’s only out there in Denver, then you come to New York and it’s like we’re all teammates, we’re all good. We’re gonna make this thing right. It’s kind of hard to say. There’s more players that I’ve had longer tenured relationships, deeper relationships than others.”

Carmelo Anthony explains why Nuggets teammates remain closest from NBA career

Anthony spent more than seven seasons with Denver after being selected No. 3 overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. During that stretch, he played alongside players such as J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, Andre Miller, Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups while helping turn the Nuggets into a consistent Western Conference playoff contender.

When Siddiqi referenced the close-knit nature of those Denver teams from the 2000s, Anthony emphasized the culture and camaraderie within the organization.

“Yeah, because it was fun. It was fun basketball, and that’s the only way that I knew how to get together and have fun and bring everybody together,” Anthony said. “Those guys showed me that, and I learned from the veterans that were doing that. I was young, I was following their lead, even though I had the keys to the organization.”

Anthony later narrowed his list down further when asked specifically about certain teammates.

“If you’re talking about somebody (specifically), I would say A.I. (Allen Iverson) J.R. Smith, Amar’e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert, Raymond Felton. That was the group.”

While James was not mentioned among Anthony’s favorite teammates, the two NBA stars shared a close friendship throughout their careers after entering the league together in the 2003 draft class. Anthony eventually joined James on the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2021-22 season, the final NBA campaign of Anthony’s career.

The pair also spent years together representing Team USA internationally and became part of the NBA’s well-known “Banana Boat” group alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul.

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