In an exclusive interview for The Athletic, Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony recalled the moment they met.

This next Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers will face each other and this will be the 34th duel between Lebron and Anthony. The Lakers star has the advantage witn 19 wins against his old colleague.

James and Anthony are friends off the court and this friendship story goes back to a date in 2001:

LeBron: The first time we met was 2001. 2001? Yeah, it was at the junior Olympics, through Team USA in Colorado Springs. We were both there playing for, it was just like a … I don’t know actually what it was. I think it was like a tryout. You know how they’re doing it now, the high school kids, they’ve got the top 24 high school kids there and I was a sophomore, he was a junior.

Melo: I didn’t really know him, he didn’t know me, the team was kind of separated. He was younger. We didn’t really have much dialogue there. We just always respected each other’s game.

LeBron: I remember coming home and telling my high school teammates how I just seen probably the best high school player up to date that I have seen in my life.

Melo: It wasn’t weird, but it was like, we meet on hotel steps (the next year in Pennsylvania) and not even knowing each other. “Hey Melo, come downstairs and let’s talk.” It was like that. We sat there for hours. It was just very organic and I could tell that at that point in time, that we was kind of looking for that brotherhood, both searching, but not knowing we were searching, but it happened.

In the same interview Lebron gives more details about the special relationship he and Carmelo have off the court with D-Wade and Chris Paul:

“We don’t talk about basketball. That’s the thing. Our relationship, me and Melo, D-Wade and CP, we don’t talk about basketball. We talk about life and how we can change the world and change the people around us. Basketball’s going to take care of itself. It’s a huge part of our story, obviously, but it’s not us. If we allow basketball to define who we are, then we’re nothing.” – said Lebron

Both Melo and James have great averages this season. Adapting to the Blazers’ playbook, Carmelo Anthony has 16.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in eight games on Lillard’s team, while Lebron has so far scored 25.4 points, 7 rebounds and 10.8 assists leading the Lakers in one of the best NBA records with 19 wins and only 3 losses.