Serbia was in a prime position to pull off an upset over the United States in the semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and Bogdan Bogdanovic was letting all of Barcy Arena know.
Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is the only active Serbian player with more NBA experience than Bogdanovic, and the prolific scoring wing wasn't shying away against Team USA's star power.
He lit up the United States for a team-high 20 points and was a major reason Serbia built a 17-point lead. As he started to heat up in the first half, he hit a big 3-pointer and looked directly at former USA Basketball legend Carmelo Anthony sitting courtside as he hit Melo's signature celebration.
Why was Bogdanovic targeting his trash talk toward Anthony? The Sporting News takes a closer look below.
MORE: Three takeaways from USA's thrilling win over Serbia
Why was Bogdan Bogdanovic trash talking Carmelo Anthony?
It felt personal when Bogdanovic looked right at Anthony while hitting the "three to the head" celebration after a 3-pointer in the first half.
This wasn't the first time that Bogdanovic used Melo's signature move, but he also talked a big game to the former USA Basketball star throughout the night.
Anthony and the United States got the last laugh, though.
When Team USA started to mount its comeback, the three-time Olympic gold medalist was up and active, helping direct his former teammates through the game's biggest moments.
The United States came away with a miraculous 95-91 victory to advance to the gold medal match, while Bogdanovic and Serbia will have to settle for a chance at bronze despite coming so close to a Cinderella story.
There was still no explanation as to why Bogdanovic was so charged up toward Anthony, and the Serbian star was not asked about it after the loss.
One X user was smart to point out that the two faced off on the Olympic stage before.
Anthony's Team USA squad destroyed 23-year-old Bogdanovic and Serbia in the gold medal match at the 2016 Rio Games, 96-66. Anthony only had seven points on seven shots but knowing the star forward's tendencies, it's safe to assume he was letting Serbia hear it the entire night.
Team USA and Serbia also battled in the Group Stage of the 2016 Olympics and the United States snuck out with a narrow 94-91 win. Anthony had 12 points to Bogdanovic's seven in that game.
It's possible Bogdanovic was still upset about something Anthony said eight years ago. It's equally possible that he was just using the former men's USA Basketball all-time leading scorer as motivation to stay fired up.
With the final outcome of the game, Bogdanovic learned a valuable lesson: Stay Melo.
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