The Los Angeles Lakers’ season came to a disappointing conclusion this week. After entering the year with title aspirations, not only did LA fail to meet that mark – but they couldn’t even qualify for the playoffs.
In the preseason, a number of key veterans joined the Lakers in an attempt to ring chase. Among them: Carmelo Anthony.
At the time, Anthony’s decision drew a strong response from his then-teammate Damian Lillard, which then led to blunt a reaction from Anthony, which in turn paved the way for a subsequent follow-up from Lillard.
As it turns out, Anthony didn’t fare much better in Los Angeles than he would have in Portland.
This week, the future Hall of Famer got brutally honest about his views on the way this season broke down.
“I’m blessed,” Anthony said.
“I’m still able to do this 19 years in and still able to enjoy it and still get motivated by it and love to go to work and love being around the guys. So a lot of times I’ll take that over a championship, if I could, because that’s my happiness. If I gotta be unhappy to try to go fight and win a championship, I don’t want that. I don’t want that unhappiness.”
At least Dak Prescott is winning big off the field. https://t.co/2LIlZ6hH6w
— Game 7 (@game7__) April 11, 2022
Anthony is a very talented player, and it’s a shame this Lakers collapse ultimately cost him what may have been one of his final shots at a championship.
Hopefully in the coming season or two, Anthony gets another chance to suit up for a legit contender. Few in the league deserve that in the way he does.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
