"Everybody was a LeBron fan" - Patrick Mahomes reveals Carmelo Anthony was his favorite player growing up

Growing up, two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs had Carmelo Anthony as his favorite basketball player.

In an interview with NFL on NBC, a clip of which was shared on Twitter by CTRL the Narrative, Mahomes shared that while many went for LeBron James, he somehow went against the tide and went for Melo.

The 27-year-old QB said:

“I was a Carmelo Anthony fan, I was going the other way. Everybody was a LeBron fan so I loved LeBron but at the same time I wanted to have that guy.”

Mahomes played a lot of basketball in high school, especially as a point guard, and many attribute his success in the NFL to his history in the sport.

Carmelo Anthony, meanwhile, recently retired from the NBA after a 20-year illustrious career. After winning the NCAA title in 2003 with the Syracuse Orange, he went to the NBA, selected third overall by the Denver Nuggets.

Carmelo Anthony became one of the most effective scorers in the NBA after his time with the Denver Nuggets, where he stayed for eight seasons. He then moved to the New York Knicks for seven years, where he further cemented his legendary status.

After that, he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Portland Trail Blazers, before concluding his career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2021-22 season.

Carmelo Anthony ended his career as the ninth all-time leading scorer in NBA history with 28,289 points. He was a 10-time NBA All-Star, the NBA scoring champion in 2013, and was part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

He was also a decorated national team player, helping Team USA to three gold medals in the Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016). Melo is also the second leading American scorer in the Summer Games with 336 total points, with a 10.8-point average.

What is Carmelo Anthony known for? NBA legend's achievements explored as he retires from the NBA

Carmelo Anthony did not win a championship in his stellar NBA career but would surely go down as one of the best bucket-getters in league history. He is currently ninth in the NBA all-time scoring list with 28,289 points and an average of 22.5 points.

Carmelo Anthony had one of his best seasons in scoring in the 2012-13 season when he went for 28.7 points per game to lead the league while also leading the New York Knicks to the second-best record in the East at 54-28.

His career-high was 62 points in a 125-96 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2013-14 season. He also had a 33-point quarter while playing for the Denver Nuggets against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 10, 2008.

Catch Melo’s 33-point explosion in one quarter below:

He finished third in the MVP race that season, behind only LeBron James and Kevin Durant. He received MVP votes in five other seasons for his downright shot-making, including the 2009-10 season when he finished sixth.