When NBA stars start in the league, almost all sign massive contracts. That takes them up into the celebrity circles and their fame continues to grow from there, and has even led some to hire private security to deal with overzealous fans. But that security is generally restricted to one person at the max especially inside arenas, and it was much more lavish back in the day as Carmelo Anthony reveals.
Carmelo Anthony was speaking about being in awe of superstars during his rookie season on his podcast 7PM in Brooklyn. Guest and Hollywood actress Issa Rae asked him if he could go up and meet those superstars.
Nah because it was super segregated in the sense. Everybody had a crew back then. It was all about entourage and s**t back then. Who had the biggest entourage, right? So, you had your own s**t, so you wasn’t really rocking with nobody. So, myself, D-Wade and LeBron, we started (gesturing hanging out with each other). They looking at us, like ‘Y’all ain’t supposed to be cool like this’. So kinda broke that mold.
Carmelo Anthony replied
As per Anthony’s words, he, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade hanging around together broke the entourage culture of the NBA. A culture that was used to show how big a support group one had. The entourage culture of old saw NBA stars have a lot of people alongside them at all times. During games, their entourage sat courtside and even engaged in trash-talking other rival entourages. This meant rival players never hung out with each other in public.
“Y’all ain’t’ supposed to be cool like this.”
Melo discusses breaking up the entourage culture in the NBA with D-Wade and LeBron early in his career pic.twitter.com/NGFiwXv1km
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) September 19, 2024
But the ‘banana boat crew’ consisting of Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were naturally friends. They would not hide their friendship after battling against each other on the court.
The ‘banana boat crew’ featuring Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul
Many fans of basketball have suggested that the friendship of current players has had an impact on the competitiveness of games. But the likes of Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul have shown time and again that they can be fiercely competitive on the court while still hugging it out after the game.
The 2003 Draftees were friends already and then Chris Paul tagged along as the quartet started hanging out together during the offseason. On a certain trip in 2015, the four were vacationing together. The term ‘banana boat crew’ came up when three of them including Wade’s wife Gabrielle Union were riding a banana boat. As Anthony was also part of that vacation, that name became viral and fans quickly attached that name to them.
The four have been seen together countless other times, but never on the same team. Their friendship has enabled others to break the mold and seek out friends within the basketball community. Something that was not possible back in the day.
