Oklahoma City Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony. Photo Credit: USA Today Sports/Mark D. Smith

Ronnie Singh, known to gamers as Ronnie 2K checked in with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on Scoop B Radio. Press Play Below To Listen

The Oklahoma City Thunder made a splash this offseason when they traded for both Paul George and Carmelo Anthony.

Another offseason occurrence was the birth of Hoodie Melo, Anthony’s workout alter ego.  “It started with a beanie,” Anthony told reporters during the Oklahoma City Thunder’s media day last week.

“Like I was just in the gym and I didn’t have a haircut, and I was like, ‘I’m just gonna go and throw a hat on. I wanted to sweat, and I just started working back out in the summer,” he explained. “From there, it went to a hoodie and it got out, and the phenomenon started.”

The phenomenon was such a big deal that popular video game, NBA 2K released their ratings, gave Carmelo Anthony a 84 overall rating and jokingly gave Hoodie Melo a 98 overall rating.

Carmelo is rated an 84 but #HoodieMelo would become best current player in #NBA2K18. Think @TheRealJRSmith would agree… pic.twitter.com/hzijm9A7OM

— NBA 2K 2K18 (@NBA2K) August 19, 2017

What gives?

Many thought Hoodie Melo was just a summer workout thing. Not so fast! 

Not only did Melo rock a charcoal grey hoodie under his jersey during OKC media day, but on Sunday, during the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 10th annual Blue & White Scrimmage, he wore a sleeveless hoodie. 

And yes, Carmelo Anthony is scrimmaging in a sleeveless hoodie pic.twitter.com/FWUl83JAS4

— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) October 1, 2017

So hoodie Melo is really a thing, huh?

“Well yeah he really is a thing,” says NBA 2K’s face and digital strategist, Ronnie Singh told me on Scoop B Radio.

Better known to gamers as Ronnie 2K, Singh breaks it down:

“He is an imaginary character in our game at this moment. Meaning they’re not exactly sure what we are going to do with him and of course, you know there are rights issues with that too. So we will see what happens, but Hoodie Melo is definitely something that is interesting to us, so we will see.”

Sep 25, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George (13), guard Russell Westbrook (0) and forward Carmelo Anthony (7) pose for photos with head coach Billy Donovan during the Oklahoma City Thunder Media Day at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: USATSI-363579 ORIG FILE ID: 20170925_kek_ax3_135.JPG

Time will tell whether Anthony will actually wear a hoodie in game. But the Thunder have a lot to cheer about with the acquisition of George and Anthony.The icing on the cake happened on Friday, when Russell Westbrook signed a five-year, $205 million deal with OKC, the largest contract in NBA history. Westbrook will make $569,512 per game. 

As for Anthony, the Thunder’s new starting power forward, the birth of Hoodie Melo was inspired by his motivtion for the game, particularly as he was looking to turn the page, post- Knicks. “For me, it was just about showing a different focus that I have,” he said earlier this week.

“A different motivationand just locking in to what I have to do. And locking myself into the gym, and locking myself into focusing in on my body.”

Added Anthony:

“Because I didn’t know what was going to happen. It was so much going on that was surrounding me that I just wanted to find a way that I can just focus in, and that’s when Hoodie Melo was created.”

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The post NBA 2K’s Ronnie 2K On OKC’s Hoodie Melo: “Hoodie Melo is definitely something that is interesting to us” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.