LeBron James Recalls Incident In Which He Saved Carmelo Anthony's Life During Trip To Bahamas

Ahead of Game 1 of the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, LeBron James recalled a scary moment that took place between him and Carmelo Anthony.

Several years ago, they were on vacation with Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade in the Bahamas and a few of the superstars jumped off of a boat to explore a grotto.

Everyone returned to the boat except for Anthony, who remained behind to watch the barracudas.

James soon realized Anthony was in trouble and leapt off the boat to help him.

"I just knew that he was not back in the boat with the rest of us so I went out looking for him," James said in a videoconference call Monday. "And through the grace of God and through strength and not being afraid of the water, I was able to help him back to the boat. It was the only thing that was on my mind at that point and time, was getting my brother back to the boat."

In an Instagram Live in March, Anthony discussed the incident with Wade. He said the current was taking him away from the boat and before he knew it, James was coming for him.

“I look up at the boat and I see 'Bron jump off the boat like he's MacGyver," Anthony said, referencing a popular television show from the 1980s. "...He jumped off the boat into the water. He was bringing me back with one arm. He's swimming with the other arm and he's carrying me with one arm."

“Bron jumps off the boat like he’s MacGyver.” @carmeloanthony and @DwyaneWade with an unreal Banana Boat story from the Bahamas 😭 *NSFW* pic.twitter.com/FGXQ1VveZ3
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 28, 2020

Added Anthony: "He saved my life. Yo, 'Bron, I appreciate that. You saved my life that day. Them little flippers weren't working for me."

On Monday, James was asked if he realized just how dicey the situation was at the time.

"I seen the current was a little bit stronger than what it first started at where we were," James said. "And, I mean, I don’t know, it’s a blessing, honestly. We all talked about it and he told me he felt like I saved his life. And, you know, I don’t really know what to say to be honest. I’m just happy he’s still here, obviously."

This season has been a redemption story of sorts for Anthony, who parted ways with the Houston Rockets after playing in only 10 games in 2018-2019.

His career was flailing before the Trail Blazers signed him in Nov.

Anthony has established himself as an important threat on the Trail Blazers and in the NBA's first-ever play-in game Saturday, he had five of his 21 points in the final 21 seconds to help his team advance to the playoffs with a 126-122 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

"They have a Hall of Famer in Carmelo Anthony who can erupt at any point of a game," James said. "So you have to always key in on him and have that respect factor because you know what he’s capable of doing."

James added that he would've loved if the Lakers had signed Anthony and they were teammates, but said everything happens for a reason and his friend ended up exactly where he's supposed to be.

"Through the grace of God and through the grace of him being patient and him finding the right opportunity for him to succeed and be who he is, it landed him in Portland," James said. "There’s no envy for that. There’s only praise and excitement. It’s like I’m just grateful that he’s back here, back in the position where I knew he belonged. It’s pretty cool."