November 26, 2024

Carmelo Anthony is just a scorer? Olympic Melo is proof he's the ultimate team player

Carmelo Anthony is just a scorer? Olympic Melo is proof he
Gilas Melo: Anthony shows off honorary Gilas Pilipinas jersey

To be clear, when we say Melo, we’re talking about Carmelo Anthony.

No offense to LaMelo Ball, but Anthony has essentially trademarked that nickname when Hoodie Melo and Olympic Melo dominated the trending lists not too long ago.

Anthony has scored tons of buckets that earned him a spot among the NBA crème de la crème or the 75th Anniversary team. It’s no secret, however, that his lack of an NBA title is too glaring for some fans to ignore. Basketball is about winning, after all.

Then came Olympic Melo, who quickly became a fan favorite. Unlike Knicks Melo or Nuggets Melo, Olympic Melo is a winner.

As part of Team USA, Melo won three consecutive Olympic gold medals. One in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, another in the 2012 London Olympics, and the last one in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Melo played with the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in those teams, alpha dogs in their own right. But Anthony, himself a franchise-caliber player, knew how to fit right in.

“I don’t have to be the Melo that was with the Knicks, with Denver, or the Lakers,” said Anthony, who is also the newest FIBA Basketball World Cup global ambassador and is here in Manila as a special guest in the Asian qualifiers.

With the adjustment, Melo didn’t think he was sacrificing his identity. Instead, it was his way of being a team player. “It would be very selfish of me to bring that Melo to a USA team because we have the 12 best players from around the world in one team,” he said.

“[It makes no sense] for me to try to outshine everybody. Instead, [I was] just doing what I do best within the realm of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Anthony added.

And in fitting in, he excelled. In 2016, Melo became Team USA’s all-time leading scorer—before Kevin Durant broke his record in 2021.

All of this, actually, is more about Melo being Melo.

“I’m able to sit here and speak about three gold medals and one [Olympic] bronze medal and talk about the international game because I could just be myself.”

It’s noteworthy that before the Olympic gold medal streak, Melo was also part of two national teams that fell short: the 2004 USA Olympic team and the 2006 USA FIBA World Cup team that both settled for bronze, a colossal disappointment for a basketball power like the United States.

But he stayed committed to the USA basketball program and now has three golds to flaunt.

Perhaps we all would be better off if we take after Anthony. Or in his words, if we “Stay Melo.”

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