Carmelo Anthony is one of the greats in Team USA men’s basketball history. He was one of their starring leaders on Team USA squads that won gold medals in 2008, 2012, and 2016. Two times at the Olympics, he scored at least 31 points in a game. There was a period of time where Anthony was the all-time leading scorer for Team USA men’s basketball, although he has since been surpassed by two that are still playing.
Team USA is one win away from winning their fifth-straight gold medal in men’s basketball. They are taking on France in the gold medal game today (August 10). Since NBA players were first allowed to play in the 1992 Olympics, USA has not won gold just once. That was in 2004 where they finished in third, thus winning bronze.
The 10th all-time leading scorer in NBA history, Anthony recently interviewed with BasketNews. In the interview, Anthony named his all-time starting five for Team USA men’s basketball. He deservedly included himself, and here are the other four he also chose.
Carmelo Anthony Names His Team USA All-Time Starting Five
Carmelo Anthony
Anthony participated for Team USA in four Olympics, accumulating three gold medals and one bronze. After barely playing on the disappointing 2004 team that won bronze, he played a huge role on the three gold medal squads. He dropped 37 points, a Team USA single-game record, in 2012 against Nigeria. Anthony’s 336 points in the Olympics are the third-most in Team USA men’s basketball history.
Charles Barkley
Known as ‘The Round Mound of Rebound’, Charles Barkley was a part of the famed 1992 Dream Team. He was the leading scorer on the historic squad averaging 18.0 points in the eight games en route to an easy gold medal. Barkley also won gold for Team USA in 1996. He shot a ridiculous 74.4% from the field in his Olympics tenure.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant played in two Olympic Games for Team USA, securing gold medals in 2008 and 2012. In the two gold medal games (both against Spain), Bryant combined to score 37 points and dish out eight assists. He averaged 13.6 points over his 16 Olympic outings.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is one win over France away from becoming the first player in men’s basketball history to win four gold medals. He recently surpassed Lisa Leslie as Team USA’s leading scorer, men’s or women’s. The 35-year-old is currently at 503 total points in the Olympic Games (and counting). Durant has done his best work in gold medal games. In 2012, he scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Spain. The 2016 gold medal game once again saw him finish with 30 points. In the 2020 Olympics (actually took place in 2021), he had 29 points and six rebounds against France.
Lebron James
After not taking part in the last two Olympics for Team USA, LeBron James is one win away from his third gold medal. He won gold in 2008 and 2012 as well as a bronze medal in 2004. James recently passed Anthony as the second-leading scorer in Team USA men’s basketball history (currently has 344 points). He tallied a triple-double of 11 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists in a 2012 game against Australia. He became the first player with multiple triple-doubles at the Olympics when he had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists against Serbia in this year’s Olympics.
