Carmelo Anthony has been many things across a legendary career. All-Star. Scoring champion. Gold medalist. Likely Hall of Famer. One thing he hasn't been, though, is photographed on a banana boat in the Bahamas alongside LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade. Despite being widely treated as a member of the banana boat team, Anthony technically was not on the boat with his three fellow stars or Wade's wife, Gabrielle Union, and now, we know why that was.
Anthony appeared on Barstool's Pardon My Take Wednesday and told the story of his absence. It started with a scheduling issue, but ultimately, he stands by his choice not to get on the boat.
"I didn't get left out. They were already down there and I was meeting them," Anthony explained. "I had just flown in and we were, like, taxiing to the boat. They were already in the water doing water sports. I see them on the banana boat and I'm just like, 'What is this?' And they're like, 'Come on!' And I'm like, 'No, I'm not getting on that s***.'"
When asked to clarify if he was invited onto the boat, Anthony confirmed that he was "informally," saying "it was a hand wave." Still, even if he wasn't technically in the picture, he considers himself a part of the banana boat family. "I am an extension, I am a banana boat family," Anthony said. "They got on me one time, 'why you keep saying you ain't a banana boat,' alright man, f*** it, I'm part of the banana boat, f*** it. I wasn't on there, you keep arguing, you keep fighting it."
Anthony doesn't need a boat picture to solidify his membership. Unlike Paul and Wade, he has played in the NBA with multiple members of the banana boat family. He had a brief stint with Paul in Houston and now plays with James in Los Angeles. Now the Lakers are relying on the chemistry of their banana boat duo to help them win a championship, and fortunately, we now know that there are no grudges held over Anthony's absence in the picture.