The 2015-16 NBA season isn’t technically over yet, but pretty much is for the Knicks. Seven games behind the Bulls for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks are basically running out the clock. So of course Carmelo Anthony is looking ahead to the 2016 Olympics in Rio with the USA Men’s Basketball Team.
There’s a decent reason, too. It would be Melo’s fourth Olympics and his chance at three golds. “Not too many people can say that,” Anthony said, via Newsday. “To me that’s the way I look at it and the way I approach the Olympics.”
Melo and LeBron James would be the first three-time gold winners for USA Men’s Basketball if the team can make a run this summer. At the very least, they’ll be the first four-time Olympians for the U.S. in basketball. With Melo lacking an NBA championship, it’s understandable that making international history resonates with him:
Nobody can take that away from you, being a part of history. Since ‘04 up until now, being a major part of the growth of international basketball, USA basketball, being there when we were at the lowest of the low when it comes to basketball internationally and then experiencing two gold medals, the way that we did it, I sit back and I dwell on that. I realize this is a special moment.
The Knicks play at Denver on Tuesday, the first of six straight road games. But with 18 games left in the season, it’s safe to say Melo is already looking ahead.
(Via Newsday)
