Carmelo Anthony Clears the Air on 'Taunt' From Bogdan Bogdanovic at Paris Olympics

Serbian guard Bogdan Bogdanovic sparked controversy when he appeared to taunt former Team USA star Carmelo Anthony during Thursday's semifinal game at the Paris Olympics.

But Anthony didn't see it that way.

Bogdanovic had unleashed Anthony's iconic "three to the dome" celebration in Anthony's direction after hitting at three-pointer that extended Serbia's lead to 15 points over Team USA. The lead stretched as high as 17 points before the United States surged back to win 95-91 and advance to the gold medal game.

Though some speculated that Bogdanovic was trying to taunt Anthony as he watched from the front row, the former NBA great took to Instagram to say he saw only respect from the Atlanta Hawks guard.

When one commenter wrote on a post from USA Basketball that Bogdanovic's "taunt" sparked Team USA and Anthony's friend, LeBron James, Anthony set the record straight.

"wasn’t a taunt. It was respect," Anthony wrote.

Bogdanovic and Anthony had crossed paths in the Olympics before, meeting in the gold medal game in 2016. The United States beat Serbia 96-66 to win what was their third straight gold medal.

Related: Serbia's Bogdan Bogdanovic Goes Viral for Taunting Carmelo Anthony Before Team USA Comeback