New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson was recently asked on the podcast hosted by his teammate JJ Redick on the player that he admires the most in the association. The first name he mentioned is Carmelo Anthony and how big a fan of his he was growing up.

Last year Zion was able to be on the same floor as Melo, who showed him first hand how he can create space on the floor.

“You saw the clip where I think he jabbed — I’ll never forget that,” the Pelicans star said. “Jeff, our defensive coach last year, was like if he goes to drive, let him drive. Like, all right, I got you. So he jabs me, I turned, and I’m like, ‘oh no, he didn’t go.’”

Zion Williamson is still in the process of polishing his game, and Carmelo Anthony is a perfect representation of a successful NBA career. The former third overall pick from the 2003 NBA draft has played in 1,156 games over a 19-year season.

Anthony has scored 26,918 points over that time and has shown every which way to score a basket in the NBA. When you look at the tape there are a lot of similarities between Anthony and the Pelicans forward, both men come in listed at 6-foot-7 and were a top draft pick in the NBA after a successful college career.

The Pelicans rising star would be wise to ask Anthony how he's been great for so long–both from a longevity purpose and improving his offensive game.