Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony shed some light on the one meeting that really propelled his move from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks.

Anthony revealed to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on “The Woj Pod” he was not even meant to start the 2010-11 season in Denver. Carmelo had a conversation with the front office during which he said he had no interest in playing for a team heading towards a rebuild.

Of course, Anthony did begin that season with the Nuggets. He told Wojnarowski the Nuggets had all sorts of deals lined up before the Knicks came in at the “25th hour,” with a 3 a.m. meeting ultimately leading to Carmelo Anthony being traded to New York.

Anthony produced stellar results in his first 27 games with the Knicks.

The former Syracuse star averaged 26.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting over 42 percent from beyond the arc on 4.6 attempts per game. It was the start of a fruitful partnership.

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Carmelo Anthony established a legacy in New York, making the All-Star team in each of his next six seasons with the Knicks. He won a scoring title during the 2012-13 campaign, also being named to a pair of All-NBA teams.

Still, it would have been interesting had the Knicks elected not to get involved. Imagine a Los Angeles Lakers squad with both Anthony and Kobe Bryant. Trading for Anthony likely would have precluded L.A. from attempting to form a super team with Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.

It could have altered the course of NBA history.