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Carmelo Anthony Explains How He Ended Up Making That Face in Iconic Rihanna Meme

Carmelo Anthony didn’t ask to become the face of “risking it all.”

Tyler Lauletta

Carmelo Anthony and Rihanna at a Met Gala afterparty.
Carmelo Anthony and Rihanna at a Met Gala afterparty. / 7pm in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony / YouTube
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Carmelo Anthony can explain.

On Thursday’s episode of 7pm in Brooklyn With Carmelo Anthony, the now-retired NBA superstar reflected on the image that may well go down as his greatest off-the-court legacy—the infamous photo of him and Rihanna.

The photo, originally taken in 2014, shows a sharply dressed Melo making eyes at Rihanna as she works the camera. An aggressive flash from the camera adds an unmistakably “early 2010s” aura to the frame.

In the decade since it was originally taken, Anthony’s face in the photo has become synonymous with the phrase “ready to risk it all,” because, well, that’s how the internet works.

Speaking on his show Thursday, Anthony insisted that the photo was the result of a series of both fortunate and unfortunate events.

“I’m going to tell you the real story,” Melo told his cohosts as they fought back laughter.

“It was after the Met [Gala]. I think the afterparty was at Darby or Up&Down. We’re already in there, having a good time. Every time a celebrity comes in, the cameras go crazy with flashes,” Melo explained. “It’s small in there, so you see all the flashes. It’s commotion when you walk in there.

“I finally walk in there, get through the cameras and sit down. I found my comfort zone, sitting down, trying to be low. Rih walks in, cameras go crazy. All you see is white flashes. And there’s only one way to go—there’s only one area to go to. And I’m like, ‘Please don’t come over here.’”

Melo didn’t get his wish. Rihanna approached, and just as he looked up to survey the scene, the flashes went off yet again.

In conclusion, Anthony insists that he was not preparing to “risk it all,” quite the contrary. While his explanation is now on the record, for those that only see the image, it will continue to speak for itself for quite some time.

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Tyler Lauletta
TYLER LAULETTA

Tyler Lauletta is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News Team/team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered sports for nearly a decade at Business Insider, and helped design and launch the OffBall newsletter. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and remains an Eagles and Phillies sicko. When not watching or blogging about sports, Tyler can be found scratching his dog behind the ears.

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