Carmelo Anthony Accepts Role As Team Leader for Team USA
By Deasia Paige
As stars pulled out of the Rio Olympics, Carmelo Anthony stepped up to the plate to lead his team to one goal–winning the gold.
The plethora of NBA superstars pulling out of this year’s Olympics, including LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook, made many become indifferent toward the USA Men’s basketball team.
It was because of this that made many also believe that this year’s team would not live up to the hype or excitement.
This instantly made Carmelo Anthony surprisingly become the face of USA Basketball and leader of the team. It was up to him to prove that although the team was missing familiar faces, they still had a ferocious bunch of players ready to capture the gold.
Anthony, who already has two gold medals, is striving at the Rio Olympics to become the first men’s basketball player to win three gold medals.
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Anthony’s leadership role could not come in a more timely fashion than now. During the offseason, while the New York Knicks made noise with their recent acquisitions in former Bulls players Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, Anthony’s evolving public figure spoke volumes.
It was Anthony who was the first spoke out against the injustices of the world during the wake of the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and the five police officers in Dallas. He proposed a call to actions for his fellow athletes to use their platform to evoke change.
Anthony continued that sentiment with a powerful opening speech at the ESPYs with his pals LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade.
Anthony later used his public figure with his Olympic teammates when he conducted a discussion between community leaders and the Los Angeles Police Department.
With all of his activity off the court, it is clear that he would be the one to follow on the court. His Olympic teammates feel the exact same way.
"“Carmelo is the veteran and a super-likable guy. We got 12 Alphas in here, but he’s the leader”, DeAndre Jordan told the Associated Press."
And Anthony’s young teammates have definitely made him feel like the uptight and crabby veteran on the team. In a recent Snapchat video of the team sing-a-long to Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles,” Anthony’s apparent disapproving reaction and annoyance to the karaoke is seen.
Of Carmelo’s age, Jordan jokingly told the Associated Press:
"“We’re a group of guys that range from age 24 to, I don’t know how old Carmelo is, 40?”"
Anthony’s on-court leadership is a huge role as well. Averaging about 16 points in the last Olympic’s, Anthony began to duplicate that dominance in the exhibition games, becoming one of the team’s leading scorers along with Kevin Durant.
Anthony was the leading scorer in the team’s last exhibition game against Venezuela in which he scored 19 points.
As the Olympics are currently underway, it is expected of Team USA to acquire the gold, especially with their success in the exhibition games.
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However, only Anthony knows what it’s like to fall short of that goal and face adversity as the U.S. team failed to win gold during the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Thus, with Anthony’s guidance and leadership, this year’s U.S. men’s basketball team seems to be on the right path.