Carmelo Anthony Wouldn’t Trade Olympic Gold Medals For NBA Title

'When we talk about global sport, for me, a medal means something totally different than an NBA championship.'

Former NBA player Carmelo Anthony, who has three gold medals and is one of the most celebrated Olympic basketball players, stated he wouldn’t trade his gold medals for an NBA championship.

Anthony, who played for the New York Knicks, the Denver Nuggets, and several other teams before ending his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, has never won an NBA title. During a recent interview with BasketNews‘s Donatas Urbonas, he was asked if he would trade in any of his Olympic medals for the coveted NBA title he never got a chance to obtain. He responded no because he feels that representing a country is a bigger statement than just winning a title for a team, city, or state.

“When we talk about global sport, for me, a medal means something totally different than an NBA championship,” Anthony stated. “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 a state, for a whole nation, for a whole country you’re winning for.

“So, it’s a different level of, I would say, pride that you have to have when you’re wearing USA across your chest, or you’re wearing Lithuania across your chest. It’s a totally different feeling than Knicks, New York across your chest.”

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According to Basketball Network, Anthony, who played 19 years in the NBA, won three gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2012 London Olympics, and the 2016 Rio Olympics. His averages in six international tournaments were 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. He also played in the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2006 World Championships in Japan.

He set the U.S. Olympic scoring record in 2012, totaling 37 points in a game against Nigeria.