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LeBron James isn’t sure he will be able to catch it but perhaps more than most people in the basketball world, he will be glued to his phone looking for highlights as Carmelo Anthony makes his return to the NBA later this evening as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Anthony and the Blazers, who will be without Damian Lillard on Tuesday night when they face the New Orleans Pelicans, will tip-off about two hours before the Los Angeles Lakers are set to face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center. Because of that, James thinks he’ll just have to settle for the highlights, which is exciting enough for him and several others.
LeBron says he believes Anthony will try to take “full advantage” of the opportunity, according to Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group.
LeBron on Melo making his debut: "I think it’s great, unfortunately we have a game so but I look forward to seeing some of the highlights and seeing him back out on the floor. And I know he’s been waiting for this opportunity and try to take full advantage of it."
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) November 19, 2019
James has been an advocate of Anthony being in the league, even if it ultimately couldn’t happen on the Lakers. Given Anthony Davis’ preference to play power forward as well as the presence of Kyle Kuzma, Anthony’s role on the Lakers would have been too redundant to really make a big difference.
With the Blazers, a team that is both injured and lacking in the front court, the future Hall of Fame forward will get a chance to exit the NBA on his own terms. While LeBron said his career is far from over, after seeing his friend Dwyane Wade retire last season, he’s got to be hoping for Anthony to have a similar ride off into the sunset.
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