Before Patrick Mahomes was winning Super Bowls and lighting up college football, he played football, basketball and baseball in high school and drew inspiration from several athletes. During that time in his life, the NBA had an especially impressive level of talent all around and Mahomes says he had one particular favorite player growing up.
“At that time, I was a Carmelo Anthony fan,” Mahomes told NBC. “I was, like, going the other way. You had LeBron, everyone was LeBron’s fan, so I love LeBron, but at the same time I kinda wanted to have that guy. It was Denver Nuggets, him shooting the three sign at the side of the head and [he] goes to the Knicks, so I was a big Carmelo fan growing up.”
Patrick Mahome’s favorite basketball player growing up? Carmelo Anthony (h/t @NFLonNBC)
— CTRL the Narrative (@ctrlnarrative) September 2, 2023
“I was a Carmelo Anthony fan, I was going the other way. Everybody was a LeBron fan so I loved LeBron but at the same time I wanted to have that guy.” pic.twitter.com/NhEjDDuK83
Mahomes was of course talking about Anthony’s signature three-point celebration when he’d bang three fingers against the side of his head. The former Nuggets and Knicks star announced his retirement back in May, leaving behind a stellar legacy that includes 10 All-Star selections and a scoring title.
The future Hall of Famer may never play another NBA minute again, but fans like Mahomes won’t soon forget the all-time great.
