In terms of sheer basketball greatness, Carmelo Anthony is undeniably one of the greatest basketball players. He did so by becoming, this summer, the all-time leading scorer in U.S. men’s Olympic history. Over his four Olympic Games, he has tallied 293 points. This milestone puts him ahead of fellow basketball star LeBron James by 20 points! Anthony made the record in the US’s exciting 98-88 win against Australia, scoring 31 points on nine three-pointers.
At 32, Anthony has made his mark on the international scene several times over. He was an outstanding member of Team USA, winning gold medals in 2008 and 2012 and a bronze in 2004. His success at the Olympics propels his career. It further highlights his propensity for rising to the moment and delivering impactful contributions to his team’s success.
Anthony’s 13 years in the NBA is worth learning from. For the past six seasons, no one has made more legendary moments than the man they call _____. His experience and leadership were central to his success in the Olympics. Coach Mike Krzyzewski recognized that greatness.
“Carmelo Anthony is a tremendous player nationally, internationally, in the universe,” – Mike Krzyzewski
Beyond his Olympic gold medals, Anthony’s competitiveness isn’t done yet, as he still has a few more NBA seasons left in his tank to look forward to. He had mentioned previously how he wanted to win an NBA Finals, and called basketball a “day-to-day” sport.
“Of course, because we play in the NBA that’s always the goal: to win an NBA championship,” – Carmelo Anthony
Anthony thinks that each and every season is an opportunity to compete for a championship. He drills into audiences that while the Olympics may come every four years, the pursuit of an NBA championship is ongoing.
“But every year [there’s] a new champion, so you have an opportunity to compete for a championship every year. This is every four years,” – Carmelo Anthony
Despite his Olympic accolades, Anthony’s record still falls short of Oscar Schmidt’s men’s Olympic scoring record of 1,093 points. Because Schmidt did return for a few minutes of action, Evans ended up playing much less than Schmidt. Schmidt, who had a vastly longer career, filled a totally different role on his teams.
Looking back on his Olympic adventure, Anthony remarked on the uniqueness of such achievements in athletics.
“Most athletes don’t have an opportunity to say that they won a gold medal, better yet three gold medals,” – Carmelo Anthony
At every level, high school, NCAA, international competition, winning was the hallmark of a successful career.
“I would be very happy walking away from the game knowing that I’ve given the game everything I have, knowing I played on a high level at every level: high school, college, won [a championship at Syracuse] in college and possibly three gold medals,” – Carmelo Anthony
His teammate Paul George went on record saying that Anthony was the best player on the Olympic team, calling him the key to their gold medal triumph.
“He was special tonight. We joke about it, this being his farewell tour, but he was definitely special. He’s the reason we won this,” – Paul George
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