Even before they made it to the NBA as two of the first five picks of the 2003 NBA Draft; LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony already held a close friendship. They were used to playing against each other and most analysts thought they were the best two prospects in the nation – by a long stretch.
Then, Dwyane Wade came out of the blue from Marquette University, wowing scouts to also become a top-3 pick of his own, joining Melo and James as three-fourths of what would later become the famous ‘Banana Boat Crew’.
Wade and LeBron played together in Miami and Cleveland while Anthony followed a path of his own. The first two won multiple NBA Championships together, whereas Carmelo could never make it to the NBA Finals. The three, however, shared the court for Team USA during that historically dominant ‘Redeem Team’ generation.
That’s why, 13 years later after they crushed the rest of the world en route to an Olympic gold medal, Carmelo Anthony took to Instagram to shutout his brothers and remember the time they represented the star-spangled banner.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKnWLL3A_4H
Needless to say, it didn’t take long before LeBron James and Dwyane Wade also shared the post, remembering when they were just entering the prime of their careers.
Those three players have been – by far – three of the greatest offensive juggernauts to ever set foot on a basketball hardwood, and even if there are different levels to success, no one can take anything away from them.
There’s no doubt that – once it’s all said and done – Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James will all be inducted into the Hall of Fame, immortalizing their brotherhood in a way three friends who love to hoop could have never imagined.
