NEW ORLEANS, March 29 (UPI) -- In nearly 900 career NBA games, New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony has seen almost everything.
Almost.
On Monday night Anthony "witnessed" something new, and it wasn't anything done by LeBron James.
In the final minute of the Knicks' 99-91 loss in New Orleans, a boy ran up to Anthony near the foul line and gave him a big hug. Anthony responded by patting him on the head.
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The boy flew down the stairs and around security to get to the Knicks' All-Star. He was eventually told to get off the court and ran up the stairs into the stands, where he and his family were allowed to stay.
''I stepped up to clean my shoes and all of sudden I kicked something and I looked down and it was this little kid,'' Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham told Nola.com. ''Carmelo said is that your kid. Actually, I thought it was Kendrick Perkins' kid because he has the same type hair thing going on.''
The chief of security at the Smoothie King Center declined to comment.
''It was a little kid. I was shocked,'' Anthony told Nola.com. ''I didn't really know who was it until I actually looked over and saw that it was a kid. I think it was because he was a little kid, they just let him go. Definitely a security issue though, for sure, but it was a little kid. I saw (what appeared to be) the mother standing in the aisle. He just ran on the court and just stood there and didn't say nothing. He just came up and gave me a hug and just looked up.''
The Knicks (30-45) have lost two straight games. Anthony's squad faces the Mavericks Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. in Dallas. Anthony is averaging 22 points per game this season, his lowest mark since 2004.
