Bogdan Bogdanovic caused quite a stir on social media during the Olympic semifinal clash between Serbia and Team USA. With Carmelo Anthony in attendance for the game, Bogdanovic did the “3 to the dome” celebration, that the former NBA star had popularized, at him, and it was viewed as a disrespectful act. The Serbian clarified later, though, that he meant no disrespect.
“If you know me, then you know that I enjoy the game,” Bogdanovic said. “I like to compete, and I will always compete. It’s fire. I’ve been doing (the gesture) that for a long time. I know somebody’s thinking it’s provocation or something. But that’s media. For me, it’s just enjoyment and competitiveness for the sport and respect for him. I look at him over there as a legend. Nothing more than respect and competitiveness.”
Bogdanovic made those comments after Serbia beat Germany 93-83 in the bronze medal game. Anthony was in attendance for that one too and personally congratulated Bogdanovic after they won.
It is clear that Anthony didn't view it as a disrespectful act. As Bogdanovic pointed out, he has actually been doing that celebration for many years, and the casual fan just didn't know that because he isn't a household name. All that fuss was really over nothing. Here is Bogdanovic doing the celebration against Team USA in case you missed it.
It is a bit of a shame that this was what went viral when it came to Bogdanovic at the 2024 Paris Olympics, not his good play. The 31-year-old averaged 18.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in the tournament. He also shot 46.2% from beyond the arc and was Serbia's second-best player after Nikola Jokic .
Bogdan Bogdanovic Blasted The Referees After Loss To Team USA
While Bogdanovic has a lot of respect for Anthony, he doesn't have much of that for the individuals who officiated that game between Serbia and Team USA. Bogdanovic blasted the referees for helping Team USA win against Serbia.
“We tried to talk to referees; they didn't try to talk to us, but it's ok. The USA doesn't need that type of help against us. We didn't have that type of help when they were grabbing us with two hands and all that. We played the best we could.”
You could argue that some questionable calls were made, but the Serbians were up by 17 points at one stage. The officiating wasn't why they blew that lead and lost 95-91. Serbia just did not execute on offense in the fourth quarter and that proved to be their downfall.
It was probably the frustration after blowing a game they should have won that caused Bogdanovic to have that kind of reaction. At the end of the day, Serbia played great, but the U.S. just outplayed them in the critical moments.
At least, Bogdanovic and his teammates did have the bronze medal to show for their efforts in Paris. It is his second Olympic medal, having won the silver in 2016 in Rio. Interestingly, he played against Anthony that day and these two did have a fair few battles on the court over the years.
Related: Bogdan Bogdanovic Reveals Hilarious Reason Why Nikola Jokic Hasn't Spoken To Media During Olympics
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