Lakers' LeBron James Reacts to Carmelo Anthony Being Finalist For Basketball Hall of Fame

The Lakers legend reacts to his former teammate and friend being a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Mar 5, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony (7) high-fives forward LeBron James (6) after Anthony made a three point basket in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers won 124-116. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to congratulate his friend and former teammate Carmelo Anthony on being named a finalist for this year's Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class.

The class was announced on Friday.

Here's what James had to say about his friend potentially joining a prestigious group.

"WELL DESERVING MY BROTHER!!!!! SO DAMN HAPPY AND PROUD OF YOU CHAMP!!"

WELL DESERVING MY BROTHER!!!!! SO DAMN HAPPY AND PROUD OF YOU CHAMP!! 🙏🏾💪🏾🫡 https://t.co/7vlyh0S8mr

— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 15, 2025

Anthony also responded to being named a finalist almost an hour before James responded.

Humbled and honored 🙌🏾 #STAYME7O https://t.co/HZvxYRfVUm

— Carmelo Anthony (@carmeloanthony) February 15, 2025

Anthony is one of the greatest scorers we have ever seen in this generation.

Anthony is a 10-time All-Star and ranks 10th on the NBA's career scoring list with 28,289 points. He also led Syracuse to a national championship in 2003.

Although he never won the ultimate prize in the NBA, Anthony is an all-time talent and should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the time comes in September.

Anthony played his final NBA game on April 10, 2022. 

Anthony spent his final year in Los Angeles, where he mostly played off the bench.

In his lone season in L.A., Anthony averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.7 steals per game across 69 games and 26 minutes of action.

Anthony was the team's fifth-highest scorer that season. However, the Lakers were dreadful that season as they recorded a 33-49 record, finishing 11th in the Western Conference.

James and Anthony have been friends for a long time, dating back to when they were both selected in the top five of the 2003 NBA draft.

James was selected No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. As for Anthony, he was selected No. 3 overall by the Denver Nuggets.

The two were seen as the best rookies coming out of the draft and had one of the better Rookie of the Year battles this century. James took home that award, but Anthony gave him a run for his money.

Both are all-time greats and have won on the biggest stage together, taking home the gold medal in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

Anthony will likely make his way to Springfield this year, while it is only a matter of time before James follows him.

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