Lebron James' Cleveland Return was one of the most covered news in basketball over the past three months. The reunion filled sports website and why not? The two parties parted in the worst way possible. King James was cursed by his hometown. Fans burned his jersey and spray pained his murals. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert even wrote a letter filled with anger and feelings of betrayal. Cleveland and James have severed the ties eventually and Quicken Loans Arena will be alive again.
In nearby New York, the city had the same kind of reunion to their prodigal son in 2011. The Big Apple had Carmelo Anthony back in their arms. The situation was just like Lebron's except that it was less dramatic. For the New York Knicks star, returning home was one of the best decisions he made in his life and he thinks that what he did somehow influenced Lebron's decision to return to Ohio.
Speaking to Michael Strahan for Adweek, Anthony said that although the 2014 free agency saw first Lebron James Cleveland Cavaliers reunion, his decision to re-sign with the Knicks wasn't influenced at all by that. Instead, it's the other way around.
"Watching LeBron go back to Cleveland, did that affect your decision on staying in New York, and did you learn anything from watching LeBron go back home?" Strahan asked Carmelo.
"No," Carmelo said. "Honestly, I think it was the other way around. I think he saw when I came back home to New York [in 2011] and saw the response and saw how at peace I was when I came back home...I'm pretty sure he looked at that moment and saw that that was a very special moment, and he had the opportunity to go back home himself and regain that love."
Carmelo also thinks that Lebron James' Cleveland Cavaliers return has brought peace of mind to the four-time NBA MVP.
Anthony: With those fans, you know, who kind of disowned him a couple of years ago ...so now he's back home and ...
Strahan: Disowned him? They were burning jerseys!
Anthony: Yeah, so he's at peace now.
