Carmelo Anthony reveals his thoughts on LaMelo Ball sharing his nickname

August 19, 2023

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Apr 8, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony (7) warms up before the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Carmelo Anthony is not here to gatekeep the “Melo” nickname.

The retired 10-time NBA All-Star Anthony gave an interview this week to Maddy Sells of Overtime. During the interview, Sells asked Anthony for his thoughts on current Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball sharing Anthony’s exact same nickname of “Melo.”

“I love it,” replied Anthony. “People actually thought that I would have a problem with it.”

Anthony then went on to tell a story about how he approached Ball before a game against the Hornets during Ball’s rookie season (when Anthony was on the Portland Trail Blazers).

“I went up to him,” said Anthony of Ball. “And I was just like, ‘Yo man, welcome to the NBA. Congratulations on the draft. I want you to carry this [nickname]. Like, carry that s–t with you. You do[ing] what you do is only going to keep me alive, so thank you.’ I gave it to him like that … I support you just as well as I support my son because I know what this is about. Ain’t no hard feelings. You wanna be called Melo? S–t, I’ll call you Melo.”

The Carmelo vs. LaMelo debate (and who is the one true Melo between the two) represents a generational split among fans. Many fans who are in their 20s and 30s grew up watching Anthony wreak havoc on the league and cement the nickname “Melo” (along with its variations like “Hoodie Melo,” “Olympic Melo,” and “Me7o”) into the hoops lexicon. But now the next era of fans (in their pre-teens and teens) largely associates the nickname with Ball, who markets himself as “Melo” and is now an NBA All-Star as well.

For Anthony, 39, and Ball, 21, this may end up being the modern-day version of who is the one true Clyde (Walt Frazier or Clyde Drexler). But Anthony, who has matured a lot as he has gotten older, doesn’t seem to mind it one bit.