LeBron James thinks he can fix his friend Carmelo Anthony.
The Lakers star has already said he would want Anthony — who is a free agent — to join in him L.A. if the chance arose. He went a little further during a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that will air at halftime of the Lakers-Warriors game on Christmas Day.
“I believe Melo can still play the game,” James said. “I believe I can help Melo. I know Melo better than Melo knows himself at times and vice versa. If the opportunity presents itself, I would welcome it.”
Anthony is still waiting for an opportunity to get back into the NBA after being cut by the Rockets after playing in just 10 games. He was averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in a reserve role for a Houston team that struggled out of the gate. The Rockets were Anthony’s third team in the past three seasons.
He is just one of the stars James has said he would enjoy playing with in L.A. — most recently the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis. James told Nichols he has no problem being a recruiter for the Lakers.
“I’ve always recruited,” James said. “I’ve been trying to get guys to come play with me since, like, 2007. I’ve got rejected a lot. But [I] also have not got rejected a lot.”
Convincing Kevin Durant — who could hit free agency this summer — to join him could be an uphill battle. The Warriors forward was critical of James in remarks to Bleacher Report earlier this month, calling the environment around the four-time MVP “toxic.”
James said he was “a little pissed off” by Durant’s comments when he first heard them.
“I didn’t know where it stemmed from,” he said of his initial reaction. “I was pissed, my family was pissed, my friends was pissed. When I heard ‘toxic,’ I automatically thought, you know, toxic is like, ‘You don’t want to be around that’ because it’s almost like fatal disease. You don’t want to be around that.”
James said he got a phone called from Durant, who talked about how he felt the story “took a twist” and apologized for how it came out. It appears the two have moved on from it.
“As a man, I don’t hold on to things too long,” James said. “I’m too happy in my life right now.”
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