Carmelo Anthony Has Nothing But Love For Portland, Damian Lillard

The newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers had nothing but love to give for the team that gave him a second chance in the league.

There were times when it seemed as if Carmelo Anthony would never find his way back into the good graces of the league after disastrous stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets.

But then the Portland Trail Blazers came along and gave him a shot to redeem himself.

For two years, Anthony proved that he has matured from his time with the New York Knicks and embraced a sixth man role with the Blazers.

The ten-time All-Star was a highly valuable threat off the bench for the Blazers as he averaged 14.3 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting a respectable 42.5 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from deep.

The seemingly rejuvenated Anthony was then signed by the Lakers to a one-year contract.

“Melo” appeared on the “All The Smoke” podcast with former NBA stars Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson and shared his two-year Blazers stint.

“Portland was real solid. They brought me in and I played right away. And that’s all I ever wanted to do was just hoop, man. I love to hoop,” said Anthony.

“I wanted to be on the court. Then, I’m playing with Dame [Lillard], I’m playing with CJ [McCollum], they opened their arms, they opened the city, their organization, so I had to be loyal to those guys. Like, I’m gonna give you what I got.”

He also heaped praise on Lillard for the Blazers’ star willingness to accept him on the team.

“Dame is a real one because Dame always knew like, ‘Man we don’t care about what nobody else is saying. We know you can play. I know you can play. I see you. I talk to you,” Anthony said. “So when you get somebody like that, rocking with you, it makes that situation easier.”

The Blazers are currently in a bit of a bind as Lillard has been unhappy with their offseason acquisitions, but he has also shot down rumors of him wanting a trade to the Lakers.

Anthony has never been close to competing for an NBA title, and joining a veteran-laden team like the Lakers led by long-time friend LeBron James and Anthony Davis gives him his best shot ever.