Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony was one of the few bright spots for the team this year. Unlike some of the front office’s other offseason acquisitions, he consistently delivered what he was brought in to do.
What made Carmelo’s contributions even more impressive was the fact that he was doing what he was doing while going through some real drama off the court.
Namely: his ongoing divorce from longtime wife, La La Anthony.
This week, during an interview with Charlamagne, La La got brutally honest about the split and all that it entailed.
“It happened, and it was a learning experience, and it’s just another chapter in my life that I can learn from,” she said.
That said – she also acknowledged that it was very, very hard.
“Within me, I think that stepping away from that marriage was such an incredibly hard decision for me, but it made me realize there’s nothing I can’t do,” La La said.
“Staying is easier. Walking away is harder. Staying in your comfort zone — what you know, your house, your kid is happy cause their parents are together — that’s easier. Walking away on your own and trying to rebuild a life by yourself … I was with him when he was 19 years old, like that’s all I’ve known.
“To step away from that and try to build my own life and still keep my sanity and keep things normal for my son who only knew his mom and his dad together — that wasn’t the easier decision, but I had to make a decision for myself. So now it’s like, wow, if I could do that, I could do anything.”
Between the shocking texts that leaked out and Kevin Durant’s weird involvement in the situation – Carmelo and La La’s split has seen its fair share of twists and turns.
Even the pair’s 14-year-old son wasn’t immune from an alleged extortion attempt.
But it appears as though slowly and surely, all parties involved are moving forward. Carmelo sending two women who aren’t La La the same exact Valentine’s Day gift speaks for itself. Healing is occurring.
NHL fans are built different. https://t.co/RYa2Sb98uD
— Game 7 (@game7__) May 9, 2022
Obviously this was a disappointing campaign for the Lakers as a whole, but Carmelo has no shortage of suitors this offseason. And with his private life drama finally dying down, he will be able to focus 100 percent on hoops in 2022-23.
Can Carmelo keep getting better the way he has over the last few seasons?
Time will tell.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
