New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony will be flying home from the Paris Olympics pretty soon. Team USA’s men’s basketball team won gold on Saturday in a thrilling affair. All that’s left is for the women’s team to do the same.
While he waits, he’s free for a few Q&As.
Making an appearance on BasketNews Talks, Anthony was asked a question he hadn’t heard before: would he trade his Olympic gold medals for an NBA championship?
Carmelo Anthony Chooses Between Olympic Medals, NBA Ring
“I’ve never been asked that question,” Anthony contends. “No.”
“No, because when we talk about global sport… a medal means something totally different than an NBA championship,” Anthony continues.
“So, it’s a different level of —I would say pride —that you have to have when you’re wearing USA across your chest or you’re wearing Lithuania across your chest, right? It’s a totally different feeling than Knicks (or) New York across your chest.”
“They both have they own separate meanings, but winning a gold medal, it’s the passion. It’s the pride that you have —not just for a city or a state —for a whole nation, for a whole country that you’re winning for,” Anthony explains.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
For all the criticism he’s faced in the NBA, Anthony’s had an exemplary international career.
Athens 2004 Olympics
His first taste of Olympic experience came in 2004 with the ill-fated bronze medal team. At the time, Anthony was a rookie, playing sparingly. This was an intriguing coaching decision, as Anthony had just led the Denver Nuggets to the playoffs while averaging 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
FIBA Championships
Just two years later, Anthony became the face of USA Basketball.
Leading Team USA to a broze medal in the 2006 FIBA World Championship with a team-high 19.9 points per game, he earned USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year honors shortly after. The next year, Anthony won his first gold medal with Team USA’s senior team in 2007 FIBA Americas Championship after averaging 21.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
The Redeem Team
The Maryland native’s next gold medal came with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kobe Bryant leading the way. Nonetheless, Anthony continued to play a key role offensively and on the boards. Leaving the 2008 Beijing Olympics with an 8-0 record, he was now part of one of the three most popular U.S. Olympic teams; the Redeem Team.
A Historic Achievement
In the 2012 London Olympics, Team USA adopted a small-ball approach due to a dearth of available big men. Kevin Durant —now USA Basketball’s all-time leading scorer and the men’s only four-time Olympic gold medalist —stepped up with a team-high 19.5 points per game. However, Anthony wasn’t far behind, averaging 16.3 points per game.
The 2016 Rio Olympics were a similar story. Yet, it’s one that ended with him being the first USA Basketball player to win three gold medals. As good things come in threes, Anthony was also named the USA Basketball Male Player of the Year for the third time.
Is Winning Gold More Difficult?
It’s hard to see why Anthony would trade his gold medals for a single NBA championship. Yes, an NBA title eluded him throughout his career. Yes, the 10-time NBA All-Star is undoubtedly one of the most talented players to have never won a ring. Regardless of those truths though, winning an Olympic gold medal is even rarer.
For starters, a national team selection typically has to be an All-Star caliber player. Secondly, a team can only lose once in the knockout rounds and hope to medal. Lastly, the Olympics are a quadrennial —rather than annual —event.
The Patriotism Factor
As for Anthony’s perspective on the patriotism involved in Olympics, he makes a salient observation. Unless a player is from the city where his team is based, they don’t feel the same type of pride. For example, James’s championship with his home state Cleveland Cavaliers had a different meaning than the ones he won with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
Unfortunately for Anthony, his home state or hometown doesn’t have an NBA team. The Baltimore Bullets are now the Washington Wizards. He was born in Brooklyn, yet has a greater affinity toward the Knicks than the Brooklyn Nets. As a result, playing for Team USA is the best way to represent where he’s from.
