Carmelo Anthony Is Going To Rio To Make History And Remember How It Feels To Win

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Carmelo Anthony is the oldest member of the Rio 2016 basketball team for the United States, and everyone knows it. By the same logic that many NBA stars have used this summer, he should be staying home. After all, he’s wasted years and wear and tear on his knees on talent-bare teams in New York, so why wouldn’t he rest and get healthy this summer now that they have some veterans? Well, maybe that futility is what drove Melo to Rio in the first place.

Apparently, to convince Anthony to have one last Olympic ride, USA Basketball staffers Jim Boeheim (Melo’s college coach) and Jerry Colangelo told him that he needed to have a chance to actually win something after these last few years on the Knicks, and as Anthony told USA Today, he agreed.

“I get a chance to go out there, be the leader of the team and enjoy it,” Anthony said. “It’s about going over there having fun, getting the winning feeling back and trying to get another gold medal.”

Of course, that gold medal is motivation in itself, especially because to win it would make Anthony the first player in American history to win three gold medals in basketball. Legacies matter, especially to the ring-less friend of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and having that record would not be a bad consolation prize. It won’t get him off the Knicks, though.

(Via USA Today)

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