Carmelo Anthony explains what really happened during his viral exchange with Bogdan Bogdanovic: "I really wanted to cheer when he knocked that three down like that, but I can't show no emotion"

The game semifinal game between Team USA and Serbia was one of the best games during the 2024 Olympics basketball tournament.

In that contest, the Americans rallied from a 13-point deficit at the start of the 4th quarter to beat the Serbians 95-91. Serbia led from the start until 2:24 left in the game when Steph Curry hit one of his nine three-pointers in the game. But more than Curry's ridiculous shooting display, it was the incident between Bogdan Bogdanovic and Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony , who was watching the game on courtside, that became viral.

During the recent episode of his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, the 10-time NBA All-Star explained what really transpired during that 'heated' moment in the game.

"That's my son right there," Anthony joked. "It was real-time, real sh** going on. I'm not even saying nothing to Bogi. I'm congratulating him, like, 'Oh, I like that,' like as he's playing, he makes a shot, and I'm like, 'Oh, I like that Bogi. I see you.' I'm talking that sh** to him. That was more respect. He did that in Atlanta when he was with the Hawks. So he's been doing it. I knew what it was."

Melo wanted to cheer Bogi

The incident happened during the second quarter of the USA vs. Serbia semifinal game in the Olympics. Bogdanovic nailed a three-pointer to give his team a 47-32 lead with 3:32 left in the second quarter. LeBron seemed to take exception and complained to the refs, but as Anthony said, it was all love.

But while Melo and Bogi were actually cool during that exchange, the people who were watching the game-especially those who were cheering for Team USA, really felt that Bogdanovic was disrespecting a legend who was watching the game on the sidelines. Anthony says thanks, but no thanks.

"So I appreciate everybody taking my side but the real sh** was he was showing love," added Carmelo. "I really wanted to cheer, as a fan, when he knocked that three down like that but I can't show no emotion. I really wanna be like, 'That's crazy'. I wanted to point at him."

Related: "You could just feel it, the lack of respect" - Alonzo Mourning on the tense environment in the gold medal game against France in the 2000 Olympics

Bogdanovic had a big game against the Americans

Well, Melo had a reason for wanting to cheer for Bogdanovic because the Atlanta Hawks guard was having a big game against the Americans. Bogi led the Serbians in scoring in that game, putting up 20 points in 31 minutes of action. He knocked down five three-pointers in the game, including the one where he seemingly stared down Melo, who was at courtside watching the game.

With Bogdanovic scoring 12 and the rest of the Serbians knocking down their three-pointers in the first half, the No.4 ranked FIBA team took an early 17-point lead over Team USA and were up 54-43 at the break. But Team USA slowly cut the lead before finally grabbing the upper hand late in the fourth period.

The Serbian sharpshooter was brought to tears after watching their perfect game come up two minutes short. Bogi scored 16 points in the battle for third as Serbia settled for the Bronze medal. After that game, Bogdanovic and Anthony shared a moment in another display of respect between two fierce competitors.

Related: "We didn't get respect; not as a basketball nation, but as a team" - Serbian coach is furious as his stars combined for only five free-throws