NBA Stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, & Carmelo Anthony Play In Big Pickup Game In New York


A recent tweet from NBA star LeBron James in which he indicated he was having summer basketball withdrawal symptoms, resulted in a major pickup game coming together in New York. The latest practice session comes as LeBron’s team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, are preparing for the possibility of a future without their top superstar. Also, continued rumors that Kyrie Irving will be traded to another team at some point shortly are continuing to keep the Cavaliers looking at their future options. Meanwhile, “King James” was able to get his fix of basketball action during the offseason.

TheBusiness Insider delivered news of the pickup game which was put together by Chris Brickley, a top personal trainer for many athletes including basketball players. Amongst the players participating were NBA All-Stars Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony, along with LeBron’s teammate J.R. Smith. Marshall Plume, Enes Kanter, and Dahntay Jones also got some game time. Ironically, LeBron and KD just saw one another not all that long ago during their matchup in the NBA Finals. If that isn’t enough, the game featured another guy who has been heavily mentioned in NBA trade rumors, as the New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony was present and accounted for.

Former Team USA basketball players Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Chris Paul. [Image by David Becker/Getty Images]

The game took place at New York’s Life Time Athletic and featured a full 5-on-5 game. Luckily, basketball fans who wanted to see some of what went down in that game were treated to it via the game organizer’s Instagram posts. The highlight reel videos featured some smooth jumpers from Melo and LeBron, as well as acrobatics from the various All-Star players. That included a dunk by NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and an under the basket reverse layup from King James. These are the types of plays that have basketball enthusiasts counting down the days for until the season begins.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star first tweeted that he was missing his fix of basketball a week ago. After getting his fill with fellow NBA stars in the gym in NY, he tweeted he was off to California. LeBron seems to love that particular state, where he owns a home, and where he could very well end up after the coming season. The NBA superstar is set to become a free agent with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which has them considering Kyrie Irving trade options very carefully so that they can rebuild their team the right way with whatever they receive in exchange. The team seems more interested in obtaining younger players and draft picks in any trade rather than veterans since they would only offer them a small window of time to try to defeat the Warriors before LeBron possibly leaves Cleveland.

NBA All-star Carmelo Anthony participated in the big pickup game in New York, still a member of the Knicks. [Image by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images]

Nonetheless, it’s great to see these guys getting their fix of basketball with about two months until the NBA regular season. This big pickup game in New York arrives not long after the NBA released their 2017-18 schedule. Fans will be able to see LeBron James and Kevin Durant on the court for opening night on October 17th as both of their teams are featured in the two scheduled matchups. The Boston Celtics take on the Cavs in Cleveland, while Durant’s Warriors host the Houston Rockets. If he’s still a member of the New York Knicks by the start of the season, Carmelo Anthony will see his first action on the court on Thursday, October 19th as his current team visits the Oklahoma City Thunder. All of these games will be featured on TNT.

[Featured Image by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images]

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