LeBron James , Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony are known as the "Banana Boat Crew" after they were once photographed riding the yellow recreational watercraft during a vacation in the Bahamas.
However, while the four NBA stars and close friends will forever be linked to each other due to the now iconic banana boat photo, Melo continues to remind people that he is not in the historic photograph.
"In the picture, everybody thinking that I'm on the boat. I'm not on the boat. Ok, it's Bron, CP, D-Wade, and Gab. Because of the notion of The Banana Boat Crew, that sh** hit so hard, I can't even escape…" said Anthony during his appearance on Podcast P.
Carmelo was late
According to Melo, he wasn't in the Banana Boat photo because he was the last among the group to arrive at the vacation spot. When his buddies traveled to the Bahamas, Anthony was still attending to personal business in New York.
When he arrived, LeBron and Co. were already in their swimwear and having fun riding a banana boat. Carmelo says that while taxiing to the main boat, his pals invited him to join them on their joyride. But Melo said he is not a fan of the banana boat.
"I'm like driving to the boat cuz I'm going to take my luggage," added Anthony. "I needed a glass of champagne, I've been travelling for a long time. And I see them. They like, 'Yo, yo, come on.' I look and say, 'Nah, I'm going to the boat, man.' I went to the boat. And they pull up. And they like, 'Yo, come on.' Nah. No way I'm getting on that with y'all ni***as. There's no way! If a ni***a catch a picture of this, it's crazy!"
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The Banana Boat Crew's chemistry
That same year, LeBron told Cleveland.com that he has only three very good friends in the NBA. Not surprisingly, he mentioned Wade, Paul, and Anthony. Three years later, King James explained to ESPN the brotherhood among the "Banana Boat Crew."
"Sometimes it's just chemistry," James said. "Sometimes you can't even explain it. And I bonded with Carmelo [Anthony] when I was in the 10th grade. I bonded with CP3 [Chris Paul] when I was in the 12th, and I bonded with D-Wade when we were both coming into the combine. Some things you just can't explain, and that's why we have our brotherhood."
James and Wade's chemistry was evident when they led the Big 3 Heat to back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. The two also teamed up for 46 games in Cleveland during the 2017-18 campaign. Meanwhile, Bron and Melo were teammates in Los Angeles during the 2021-22 season.
Related: Carmelo Anthony shares how if Jayson Tatum had the same aura as Anthony Edwards, he would've been the next face of the NBA
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