Carmelo Anthony to sign one-year deal with Lakers to team with longtime friend LeBron James

They were drafted in the same class in 2003. One went from high school to the NBA. One spent a year in a college. One was the No. 1 overall pick, the other the No. 3 pick. They became close friends and All-Stars. One started in the Eastern Conference, the other in the West.

One has won four NBA championship, the other zero.

The player with none gets a chance to win one alongside the guy with four.

Veteran Carmelo Anthony, a 10-time All-Star, announced on Twitter he will join the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James, a four-time MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP, for the 2021-22 season.

This will be the first time the two stars have played on the same team, though it has been a topic for several seasons. It finally worked out.

Anthony, 37, spent the past two season with Portland, proving he can thrive in a different role. He was no longer a featured player by the time he left the Knicks after the 2016-17 season. He spent a season with Oklahoma City and last just 10 games with the Houston Rockets in 2018-19. It appeared his career was winding down toward an unhappy ending.

Portland gave Anthony a chance, and he resuscitated his career. He averaged 14.3 points and shot 42.3% from the field and 39.9% on 3-pointers in his two seasons with the Trail Blazers.

The Lakers are re-tooling their roster in an interesting way. They acquired Russell Westbrook in a deal with Wizards, who gained Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell in the deal. The Lakers also lost Alex Caruso in free agency but reached a deal with free agent shooting guard Malik Monk. They also brought back Dwight Howard.

Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carmelo Anthony joining friend LeBron James after signing with Lakers