Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis shared a touching tribute for Los Angeles Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony, whom he idolized and used to play with when they were still with the New York Knicks.

On Instagram, Porzingis recalled how he was inspired by the now Lakers star growing up. In fact, he even shared photos of him wearing a Denver Nuggets shirt and copying Melo's headband look with cornrows when he was a kid.

“As a kid I grew up watching Melo and trying to imitate his style. Crazy to think that I ended up playing alongside one of my childhood idols and he took me under his wing. Grateful for all the knowledge brother!” Porzingis wrote.

“Keep doing your thing on and off the court. Back at it we go again this season.”

Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony played together in New York for two seasons from 2015 to 2017. Melo took KP under his wing during that time, and by the looks of it, the Mavs big man has learned a lot from playing alongside his childhood idol.

Unfortunately for Melo, he wasn't able to witness how Porzingis transitioned into becoming an All-Star in the 2017-18 season. At the time, Anthony had already been traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

 

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A post shared by Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee)

Anthony joined the Lakers in the offseason as he continues his fight for his first NBA title. Meanwhile, Porizngis remains with the Mavs and is hopeful his partnership with Luka Doncic will improve as they play more games together. Both LA and Dallas will meet three times in 2021-22, so there are plenty of opportunities for Melo and KP to battle it out and share the court once again.

It's unknown what prompted the Latvian star to make the tribute, but it's certainly a heartwarming gesture for Anthony, who certainly has a Hall of Fame-worthy career.