Carmelo Anthony doesn’t have to shoot himself out. He just has to think about it. After a training session in mid-July, he caught the ball near the free-throw line with his back to the basket, dribbled once and shook his imaginary defender. Then he whirls around, stands up, and fires a trademark.
Except that his footwork is “a little rusty”, according to his trainer Alex Bazzell. “That damn move,” says Melo, will repeat itself in his mind for the rest of the day. “For me now and where I am at in my career,” he says, “it’s all about the mental part.”
It has to be these days. Because at the age of 37 and after almost two decades in the NBA, Carmelo Anthony, who is now a Los Angeles Laker, can no longer spend his entire off-season on the hardwood. Instead, the league’s tenth top scorer trains for an hour almost every day doing tire, cardio, and strength training at the LifeTime Athletic Club gym in the Sky building in Manhattan.
Jeff Allen
It’s a focused session that allows him to spend the rest of the day doing other tasks. He’s now a business mogul set to run a venture capital firm (Melo7 Tech Partners), a production company (Creative 7), and a fashion label (StayMe7o).
A wine label will be announced soon, and he has partnered with Bazzell to create an online basketball coaching platform called Through the Lens. His memoir, Where Tomorrow Are Not Promised, are now available. And his son, 14-year-old Kiyan, is starting to play high school hoops this year. “When I’m in the gym, I’m in the gym,” says Anthony. “We build my schedule, I build my business on it. As long as I train, everything else runs smoothly. “
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Anthony knows training has to happen because the last couple of seasons have taught him how to stay in shape. When he entered the league in 2003, the heavier, slower Anthony was one of the top scorers in basketball. But he’s reinvented his game for the past two years. When Covid forced the NBA to end their season in a bubble in Orlando last summer, Anthony, then with the Portland Trail Blazers, showed up with a toned body and was nicknamed “Skinny Melo.” He’s only lost five pounds, he says, but it was enough to relieve pressure on his joints and help him move faster.
He did it by training with Bazzell and trying new types of movement. He boxed, sprinted, did Pilates, and fell in love with cycling, both on a peloton and on the streets of New York City. Hang out on Manhattan’s West Side and you can see him zoom by. “With a quick look,” he says, “you can find me.”
Anthony also learned that it’s not all about speed. Tire and exercise may come first, but between calls and work comes a constant dose of mindfulness. Anthony starts each day 30 minutes away from phone and television, breathing and presence. And when the tire training is complete and “Business Melo” has gone to work, he will take regular ten-minute breaks throughout the day. “To collect myself and to re-center,” he says.
Jeff Allen
For now, however, he’s still in game mode, finishing the day’s drills by forcing himself to two straight free throws. It’s a vicious drill that “focuses” you, he says, and then Bazzell bounces him a ball for a quick dunk. Then basketball is ready for the day for Carmelo Anthony – except for this rusty fadeaway.
Build success in court
Increase your tire performance on the playground or in the hall with these drills from Bazzell.
Jeff Allen
3-and-off
Play a friend in a one-on-one game with a rule adjustment: a certain possession allows you to only dribble three times before you have to shoot. You learn to make better use of every step on the court.
Fast shot
Pick a spot around the free-throw line. Quickly start doing crossovers and dribbling between your legs and behind your back. Have a friend scream, “Go!” When that happens, you need to collect the ball and shoot it right away. You will improve your ability to find a shooting angle right away.
A version of this story originally appeared in the October 2021 issue of Men’s Health entitled “6AM WITH … CARMELO ANTHONY”.
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source https://www.bisayanews.com/2021/09/15/carmelo-anthony-spends-offseason-basketball-training-for-a-ring/
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