Carmelo Anthony spoke on his '7 PM in Brooklyn' podcast about the increased level of competition on the world stage of basketball. Melo noted that countries around the world are catching up with the U.S., primarily because of the structured basketball they play, watching game films, learning the fundamentals, and playing with effort and energy.
"Let's talk about the rest of the world where the game has been taught inch by inch, skill by skill. They get taught the game by YouTube and videos, they rewind and look at crossovers and look at one-dribble pull-ups, look at spins. They're looking more fluid than us. This is globally, around the world."
"Because they're still learning the basics of the game and how to play it, the style of play, how to run plays, and this is what is working for them. So, they look at our game like 'Oh, that game is a little easier, because y'all not as structured as we are over here.'"
"Every possession really matters internationally. NBA, you gotta get ready, you might take the first quarter off. You're going to work your way into it. Over there, if you take the first quarter off, your a** is out of here."
Melo seemed to give the European players their due credit, as they showed out during the Olympics this year. But even beyond this summer, the European game has shown that it can compete, and even surpass American basketball on the global stage.
The best example of this is the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where Germany and Serbia finished the tournament as the gold and silver medalists, whereas Team USA didn't even earn a medal. This humiliating defeat in the World Cup is what prompted LeBron James and Stephen Curry to commit to the Olympics.
Carmelo Anthony Was Present For Team USA's Win Over Serbia
Carmelo Anthony was famously present on the sidelines for Team USA's game against Serbia. He brilliantly called a play for Kevin Durant and Team USA , which led to them making the shot that sealed their incredible comeback win over Serbia, albeit with some controversy surrounding the officiating.
Anthony also shouted out Serbia's Bogdan Bogdanovic during the same podcast to pay tribute to Melo's iconic three-pointer celebration. It was good to see Anthony be given his flowers during the tournament, especially after what he has contributed to Team USA at the Olympics in the past.
Draymond Green recently named his list of GOATs for Team USA, naming Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant among the three best to ever don the jersey for Team USA at the Olympics. He even came up with an all-time starting five for Team USA , which boldly left off Michael Jordan.
Anthony is the second-most successful male Olympic player in Team USA history, tied with LeBron James, as both have three gold and one bronze medal, whereas Kevin Durant, who is ahead of them both, has four gold Olympic medals. There is no denying the impact Melo had on Team USA.
Related: Carmelo Anthony Wouldn't Trade Three Olympic Gold Medals For One NBA Ring
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