Carmelo Anthony won three gold medals throughout his career, but he wasn't able to win an NBA championship. Anthony was recently asked if he would replace his three gold medals with a championship, and the former NBA player respectfully declined. There are a few people who disagree with Anthony's answer, and that includes ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who is a die-hard New York Knicks fan.
“I almost cried when I heard that Carmelo [Anthony] said that,” Smith said on First Take. “That is maybe the most ridiculous comment I've ever heard come out of his mouth, and everybody knows how much I love my man Melo. I couldn't believe he said something so utterly ridiculous. That was just ridiculous for him to say, and all it did was bring attention to the fact that a guy that I would've loved to have won an NBA championship.”
Smith might just be saying that because Anthony never brought the Knicks a championship, or he could genuinely think that winning an NBA championship should be more important than having three gold medals.
Carmelo Anthony would rather keep his three gold medals
Carmelo Anthony was a special guest on the BasketNews podcast and was asked if he would trade his three gold medals for an NBA ring, and he gave an insightful answer.
“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 has accomplished a lot 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.
It's obvious how much the Olympics and Team USA mean to Anthony, because he was courtside at every game this year during the tournament, hyping up the players and giving them props afterward. People from all over the world come together during the Olympics to watch and support the country, which could mean a lot more than winning a championship for one state.
Anthony has never been to the NBA Finals before so he doesn't know the feeling of winning on that stage, but winning on the Olympic stage could be just a better feeling. He probably did everything he could to get the Knicks a championship, but it didn't work out, and he still has other accomplishments to be excited about in his professional career.
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