Carmelo Anthony Could Become the First Four-Time Team USA Olympian
Following the London Olympics, where Team USA defeated Spain 107-100 in the gold medal game, the question of whether Team USA can win a third consecutive Olympic championship will remain unanswered for the next four years.
Kobe Bryant has already declared that he won’t be back and LeBron James remains undecided on whether he wants to be a part of the team that will compete in Rio.
Assuming they’re healthy, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis should return, but what about Team USA’s second leading scorer, Carmelo Anthony?
“I’m young! I’m only 28,” said Anthony, when asked about the possibility of becoming Team USA’s first four-time Olympian.
Anthony had an outstanding performance in these Olympics as he averaged 16.3 points per game coming off of the bench while shooting 53.5-percent from the field, making 23 of his 46 three-pointers attempted. He also averaged 48 points per 48 minutes, including eight three-pointers in that span.
“Well, he feels great at 28 but we will see about 32, said Marc Stein, who was covering the Olympics for ESPN. “If he can go, it would be a good thing for Team USA both because he could be a veteran leader and also because ‘Melo’s game translates very well to international ball. Coach K uses him as a four who can step out and stretch the floor and works hard off the ball. He’s the kind of shooter who makes a great designated scorer on a team where pretty much everyone can score.”
The most memorable performance of this year’s Olympics was by Anthony. He set the U.S. Olympic single-game scoring record with 37 points in just 14 minutes in Team USA’s 156-73 blowout victory against Nigeria.
It’s hard to predict what will happen four years from now, but one thing is certain for Anthony. He wants to win a ring.
“It’s the one thing that’s missing is the NBA championship,’’ Anthony said. “I had a chance to win in high school, college, now two gold medals. My next goal is try to win a championship.’’
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