If you’ve followed Todd Gurley for some time and listened to his interviews since coming into the NFL, you probably know he’s a huge supporter of Carmelo Anthony. He’s repeatedly said that Melo is his favorite NBA player and will defend him to all ends of the earth.
Gurley even went as far as to say Anthony is his sports hero, someone he idolized as a kid growing up. ESPN asked several athletes who their sports heroes were growing up and Gurley unsurprisingly picked Anthony.
His defense of the NBA star got the point where he was almost getting into fights over Anthony and his place among the best basketball players.
“Carmelo Anthony. What he did at Syracuse. It’s so funny, because my dad was like, ‘You want those new LeBron Jameses?’ I’m like, ‘I want that Carmelo Anthony jersey.’ Just because I’m originally from Baltimore, he’s from Baltimore,” Gurley said. “Somebody has always got something to say about him. I darn near almost got into 30 fights over that. … When people were calling him a selfish player — he can’t do this, he can’t do that. He’s always taken the high road. That’s like a bunch of stuff that I’ve learned. Just seeing that from one of my favorite players.”
Being a superstar himself, Gurley has also caught the attention of Anthony. Carmelo has a ton of respect for what Gurley’s done in his career and thinks of him as one of his favorite players, too.
“He says I’m one of his favorite players as well,” Gurley said.” It’s just super cool and how ironic, just growing up whether it’s a rapper or a sports star, you being a fan of them and then next thing you know — me being in a position that I am — them being a fan of me.”
Gurley won’t have the long career that Anthony has had, given the nature of the NFL and specifically the running back position. However, Gurley has already accomplished so much in his career, winning Rookie of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and being named a two-time first-team All-Pro.
It’s easy to see why the respect goes both ways between Gurley and Anthony.
