Stephen A. Smith was shocked to see Carmelo Anthony say that he wouldn't trade his three Olympic Gold medals for an NBA Championship in a recent interview, calling what Anthony said 'the most ridiculous comment' he's ever heard out of the 2013 NBA scoring champion.
"I almost cried when I heard that Carmelo [Anthony] said that [he wouldn't trade his gold medals for an NBA title]. That is maybe the most ridiculous comment I've ever heard come out of his mouth... I couldn't believe he said something so utterly ridiculous."
Carmelo proclaimed this during an interview with the European publication BasketNews, which asked him if he'd trade his Golds for an NBA title .
"No. When we talk about global sports, for me, a medal means something totally different than an NBA championship. 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... USA across your chest, or you're wearing Lithuania across your chest, right? It's a totally different feeling than Knicks New York across your chest."
The only players who could make this statement and make it believable are non-American players.
If Luka Doncic could bring an Olympic Bronze medal in basketball to Slovenia, it would solidify him as a national icon. If he brought an Olympic Gold, it'd be considered one of the greatest sporting achievements ever. The same applies to Giannis Antetokounmpo with Greece. Nikola Jokic would likely trade his 3 MVPs and one NBA title to have won Gold at the Olympics, and this example stretches onto almost every non-American national player.
Beating a full-strength Team USA squad in a win-or-go-home game is a far harder task than winning an NBA title for international stars, so they're probably the only ones who can say that.
Carmelo might be a top-three Team USA player in history behind Kevin Durant and LeBron James, but to say his three Olympic Golds are a comparable achievement to an NBA title is just not fair. The USA is expected to win Gold anytime they compete in international basketball because of the talent disparity.
The talent disparity in international basketball was also far more pronounced in 2008 and 2012, with no country outside Spain even challenging Team USA in that era. Anthony was one of the featured scorers on those teams but they were consistently roster full of All-NBA or All-Star talent.
Anthony's incredible career, where he averaged 22.5 points and 6.2 rebounds over 19 seasons, retiring as the 10th leading scorer in league history, shouldn't be dismissed because he never won an NBA title.
Winning an Olympic Gold is an incredible achievement and something to be proud of, but the competitive fire required to win an Olympic Gold in basketball as a Team USA player is far less than what an American player needs in the NBA to lead a team to a title.
Related: Carmelo Anthony Ranks 2008 Redeem Team Ahead Of 1992 Dream Team
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