Carmelo Anthony\u2019s illustrious career finally received its deserved honor yesterday when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, a level he may not have reached without the support of two of the greatest NBA players of all time, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Their advice was different but necessary in its own way, and as Melo admitted, without them he would not be where he is today.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Anthony ahead of his induction, Rachel Nichols highlighted the GOATs who \u201crepped out\u201d for him, beginning with Jordan<\/a>. Melo was the first player to receive the signature Jordan shoes, a clear sign of the confidence the Chicago Bulls<\/a> legend had in him. But that confidence also came with some tough love.<\/p>\n Melo admitted that Jordan was often hard on him because of the potential the six-time champion recognized. \u201cTo have that backing, to have that support, it just meant a lot,\u201d Anthony said, before reflecting on how many people had left his side. Jordan never did.<\/p>\n \u201cHe stayed with me, he had my back. Brand wise, company wise, I got him, he\u2019s with us and when you have that type of support, you want to try so hard to just change that for that person,\u201d the New York Knicks icon added, hinting that he wanted to impress MJ and repay the faith shown in him.<\/p>\n The role Bryant<\/a> played in Anthony\u2019s life, meanwhile, was different to say the least. Mamba was not someone to beat around the bush. He would not sugarcoat anything<\/a>, and would call Melo up and critique his game without any filter.<\/p>\n \u201cHe would watch games and he would just call me after the game and say, \u2018Why didn\u2019t you shoot that?’\u201d Anthony continued. Nichols, a reputed journalist who has heard countless tales about Bryant, was not surprised.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Why didn\u2019t you shoot that, why did you pass that? \u2018What the f*** you doing?\u2019 That\u2019s just him, you know what I mean\u2026 He didn\u2019t even have to say much. It was just the fact that he was acknowledging, like, what you\u2019re doing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n