Carmelo Anthony Calls Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving 'Family' Amid Nets Rumors

Anthony and Durant go way back.

Carmelo Anthony watches game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Getty

Image via Getty/Scott Cunningham

Carmelo Anthony watches game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Earlier this week, The Athletic's Frank Isola reported that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have been "pushing" the Brooklyn Nets' upper management to sign Carmelo Anthony, who has been out of the league since November. Durant and Irving's vouching for Melo comes after the 10-time All-Star worked out with the Nets in Los Angeles. 

And it seems like Melo would also be on board for a potential team-up. "That's family," Anthony recently told TMZ Sports of KD and Kyrie working to bring him to Brooklyn. "So, that's bigger than basketball. If something happens, something's gonna happen." 

Anthony and Durant go way back. "He's been my friend since I was in high school, so we talk about everything," Durant toldNewsday in 2016. "That's like my big brother right there." Meanwhile, Caris LeVert revealed that Irving has been the one behind organizing the informal workouts in Los Angeles that have included Melo.

The most recent showcase for Anthony may be especially important given the news that Wilson Chandler was given a 25-game suspension after he tested positive for the use of performance enhancing drugs. Chandler was expected to fill in for Durant, who will miss most, if not the entire 2019-20 campaign with a ruptured Achilles. 

In light of all the talk of his possible return to the NBA, Melo wants to let his fans know that regardless of how this situation plays out, he and his family are "good."  

"I appreciate all my fans. Everybody, it's nothing but love," Anthony said. "I'm good. Me and my family good. That's all that matters. I'm 10 toes down. I feel better than I've ever felt." 

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