It's safe to say Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is more than hyped to face his good friend, Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony.

Ahead of Friday's showdown between the Lakers and Blazers, LeBron showed some love to his Banana Boat brother with an awesome pre-game greeting. The two players hugged it out, with LeBron's face showing his excitement to see and play against Melo.

LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony will always be brothers, and while they have never become teammates in the NBA, it's clear they have nothing but love and respect for each other.

To recall, there were rumors that Melo could sign with the Lakers last season before he found a home in Portland. Moreover, after he joined the Blazers, the King shared he would have loved to play alongside Anthony–though he emphasized he has no regrets.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
LeBron James (Lakers) as Booker T (RIGHT) with Jamal Murray (Nuggets) as Bobby Lashley (LEFT)

Rexwell Villas ·

Lakers D'Angelo Russell with Nuggets Nikola Jokic and Charles Barkley amid NBA Playoffs

Jay Postrado ·

Lakers' LeBron James saying "We can get them" to Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic next to him

Brett Siegel ·

“I think everything happens for a reason and everything works its way out how it’s supposed to,” James said, per Lakers Nation. “Obviously I would’ve loved for him to be a Laker at that point in time, but I’m not sitting here saying, ‘Damn, he’s supposed to be a Laker. He should be doing that for us.’”

It's still unknown if the two will ever get a chance to play alongside each other in an NBA team, but instead of wishing for something that is uncertain to happens, we should just appreciate the greatness of the LeBron and Melo while they are still in the league.