While Team USA and Serbia were battling in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics, things got animated on the sidelines between Carmelo Anthony and Bogdan Bogdanovic. After the Serbian guard hit a three, he looked courtside to Anthony and did his infamous three-finger-to-head celebration. That moment must have hyped up Anthony and Team USA, because LeBron James and Stephen Curry led the comeback win after being down most of the game.
Many thought that there was bad blood between Bogdanovic and Anthony after the celebration, but the former NBA player said on his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast how he really felt about the moment.
“I’m not even saying nothing to Bogdan. I’m congratulating him, I’m like ‘Oh I like that' as he’s playing, I’m like ‘I like that Bogdan, I see you.' I’m talking that s—t to him,” Anthony said on his podcast. “That was more respect, he’s done that in Atlanta, he’s been doing it. So I knew what it was, but I think because we had to choose a side, we had to choose a side but I appreciate it. But the real s—t was he was showing love.”
Many players in the league have adopted Anthony's three-point celebration, and that's just them showing respect to one of the best scorers that was in the NBA.
Carmelo Anthony takes pride in Team USA, Olympics
If it wasn't noticeable during the Paris Olympics, Carmelo Anthony is big on representing the U.S., whether that's on or off the court. During the tournament, Anthony was courtside cheering and hyping up the players as they led Team USA to win a gold medal.
Anthony has won three gold medals during his career, and in a recent interview with BasketNews, he was asked if he would give up his medals to have one NBA championship.
“When we talk about global sport, for me a medal means something totally different than an NBA championship,” Anthony said. “They both have their 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 state, [but] for a whole nation, for a whole country. It's a different level of pride that you have to have when you're wearing ‘USA' across your chest or you're wearing ‘Lithuania' across your chest.”
Anthony accomplished a lot while he played in the Olympics, ranking third all-time in points, while also holding the record for most points in a single game with 37 against Nigeria in 2012. He already knows how competitive things get in the tournament, but at the end of the day, he and Bogdanovic are on good terms and there was never anything to be worried about.
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