Carmelo Anthony Clears the Air on LaMelo Using the ‘Melo’ Nickname

The Hall of Famer has spoken. It's safe to say there's a level of respect between the two players.

Imagn Images

The NBA does such a good job of marketing its best players, and over the years, many of the legends have been recognized by a particular nickname. For Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, he was widely known as "Melo".

Charlotte Hornets star point guard LaMelo Ball also happens to go by that same nickname, and when he first entered the league, there was a bit of an uproar from the diehard NBA fans who felt that it was disrespectful to Anthony and that he should be the only one to be called "Melo".

I mean. I'd understand it if it were an actual nickname like Magic, Dr. J, or MJ, but Melo is literally a part of Ball's name.

Recently, Carmelo was asked on his podcast, 7 PM in Brooklyn, if it bothered him that people refer to LaMelo as Melo.

"You know what's crazy? I was in Portland and we about to play the Hornets, and I had never met him. But I was out there before he got on the court, working out... so he comes on the court, the media, everybody just looked at us like…he started walking, and before he about to go shoot, I walked over to him. I was like, 'Yo, listen, man... f*** what everybody talking about. You good! Don't ever worry about me having a problem with.' You know what I'm saying? It was just something I had to do that because of social media. If I didn't say nothing, they would've caught the video of him coming, me walking off.”

Ball has never been one to get caught up in all of the social media drama and the opinions that others have of him, so even if Anthony didn't go out of his way to let him know that, it probably wouldn't have bothered him, but I'm sure he did appreciate the gesture and felt honored for him to say that to him, especially before a game.

Could Ball follow in Anthony's Hall of Fame footsteps?

Apr 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts after a basket against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

I think if you polled most people today, they would say LaMelo is far from a Hall of Famer. He hasn't been a part of winning basketball very often, nor has he been able to stay on the floor aside from this season. The talent, though, is not even a question. He has all of the skills and tools to be a Hall of Fame-type player; he just has to elevate the Hornets, stay healthy, and be more efficient in the postseason.

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