Chris Paul let slip a curious nugget during his interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, telling her that at one point the infamous Banana Boat crew nearly teamed up.
The Banana Boat members (as captured in that summer photo) are LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Paul and Carmelo Anthony, who wasn't in the picture because he was late, according to Paul.
The Oklahoma City Thunder didn't want to delve into the detail of it all, but he didn't close the door on the potential to team up in the future.
Rooks tried to squeeze the truth out of Paul in many instances in this interview before finally throwing in the towel, as Chris Paul already knew he'd said a little too much.
The easiest time for this team-up project could have been 2010, when James was a free agent and Paul was coming off an injury-riddled season in which his New Orleans Hornets had missed the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony had gone out in the first round of the playoffs a year after reaching the Western Conference Finals against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
The cards were there for the formation of a superteam, yet getting all those hefty salaries under one roof would have proven a tough task for any team 10 years ago.
The Heat ultimately brought James on board as well as Chris Bosh to play with Dwyane Wade in South Beach while Chris Paul remained with the Hornets for another season before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers after a deal to the Lakers was nixed by then-governing-owner and NBA commissioner David Stern.
Melo would be traded that very 2009-10 season after having a foot out of the door for those first 50 games, playing his remaining 27 games with the New York Knicks.
At this point, with Wade retired, the dream of the Banana Boat crew teaming up is no longer a possibility. James had the chance to reel in Anthony all of last season and earlier this season, but his Lakers never came calling. Chris Paul will make a hefty $85.5 million over the next two seasons, a price too stiff for a dream to come true.
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