Ahead of their first-round duel with the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James shared his side of the story about the time he rescued good friend Carmelo Anthony during a vacation trip that went amiss.

The banana boat crew — comprised of James, Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul — were with their families years ago for a vacation. The four superstars jumped into the water to get a glimpse of marine life. But just as they got back to the goat, James quickly noticed that only Anthony was not with them.

“I just knew that he was not back in the boat with the rest of us, so I went out looking for him,” the Lakers small forward said Monday on a video conference call, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “And through the grace of God and through strength and not being afraid of the water, I was able to help him back to the boat. It was the only thing that was on my mind at that point and time, was getting my brother back to the boat.”

For what it's worth, Anthony previously opened up about the incident in an IG Live with Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union last March. In the said chat, Melo shared what was running through his mind during the ordeal.

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“I look up, the current is taking me in the middle of the ocean,” Anthony said of the incident. “Like, opposite from the boat.”

“And it was windy. All type of s— was going on in my head, I'm going to be honest with you.”

Anthony later thanked James for literally saving his life. LeBron, for his part, called the whole ordeal a blessing and is simply thankful that Anthony is still around.

LeBron James and the Lakers will take on Carmelo Anthony and the Blazers in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 begins on Tuesday.