Matching Los Angeles Lakers players with their NFL parallels

Carmelo Anthony: Antonio Brown

Antonio Brown has made a lot more off-the-field headlines than Carmelo Anthony has made and this comparison does not really have to do with any of that. Instead, it has to do with their careers on the field and how they are perceived in the media versus where they are now.

While Brown gave pundits many more reasons to be critical of him, both Brown and Carmelo have been dissected as individuals in their careers. Brown’s dissection is a bit deeper, but NBA pundits have still been very critical of Carmelo Anthony, how he plays basketball and the kind of teammate he is.

Brown’s peak was higher than Carmelo’s peak but it is close. Brown was the best player at this position and a bonafide top 10 player in the league. Carmelo was one of the best scorers in the entire league and during his prime was a bonafide top 10 player in the league.

Both players had playoff success in their primes but did not even reach the NBA Finals or Super Bowl. Carmelo made some deep runs with Denver and made the playoffs with New York while Brown made multiple playoff appearances with Pittsburgh.

Then things changed and both players now have a lesser role on title-contending teams. Brown is the third, sometimes even fourth passing option on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while Carmelo has turned into a likely sixth man on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brown got his ring last season with the Bucs. Carmelo’s hope is to get his with the Lakers this season and he is not shy about his desire to win a championship.

Carmelo is much older than Brown but with the lifespan of most NFL receivers, they are at somewhat similar points in their careers.