“Skinny Melo” has people buzzing at Disney World.
Carmelo Anthony joined the Portland Trail Blazers in Orlando this week looking dramatically slimmer than he seemed before the NBA closed his season.
For reference, this is what Anthony looked like in late February:
Carmelo Anthony pre-hiatus. (Photo by Abbie Parr / Getty Images)
And this is how it looks now:
That seems to be the big difference.
Anthony told ESPN’s Royce Young that the weight loss was spurred by a shift in position from forward to small forward. The Blazers are set for Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins to come back and start when the game starts again, but they will be without Trevor Ariza after the veteran chose not to restart to spend time with his son.
From ESPN:
“For me, I had that in the back of my mind, once the coach told me the position that he would come back at 3,” said Anthony. “I challenged myself to drop to that weight where I feel comfortable playing 3, running comfortable and using things I can do within our system when playing 3.
“That was a great motivation for me to come back at that exact weight, or around that weight, 230, 235. I haven’t seen 230, 235 since early, early in my career,” he said. “So now it puts me back into a confidence mindset knowing that I could get back to that. On the court I feel good, I feel healthy. I am also very clear. That was all part of the plan. “
Anthony reportedly said he brought about the change through “a very intense and very healthy diet” and some adjustments in his training.
Oddly, Anthony didn’t actually lose as many pounds as he got slimmer. Anthony entered the season on the NBA’s 238-pound list, so going 230 would not be a big change. Blazers guard CJ McCollum told reporters Thursday that what Anthony really did was lose weight and replace it with some thinner muscle.
Whatever happens, Anthony seems ready to handle his new duties as a forward.
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