Olympic Gold Medal Nothing Compared To NBA Championship

An Olympic gold medal is prestigious, but for NBA players, they pale in comparison to an NBA championship.

The Olympics are considered by many to be the pinnacle of athletic competition. For so many athletes, the event serves as the largest stage with the best competition they will ever face in their respective sport. And an Olympic gold medal for many is the ultimate prize.

But basketball players are some of a select few to whom this doesn’t necessarily apply.

Let’s get this out in the open right off the bat. Winning a gold medal as a basketball player is a prestigious accomplishment. Being able to represent one’s country and assert dominance in that sport over the rest of the world is awesome.

However, winning an Olympic gold medal in basketball is nothing compared to winning an NBA championship. There was a time where it seemed like this was obvious, but apparently that’s no longer the case.

DeAndre Jordan started this conversation when he said he thinks gold medals are above NBA rings. Coming from Jordan, this could just as easily be him trying to convince himself this is the case to make himself feel better. He hasn’t sniffed an NBA title in his eight-year career.

While the Los Angeles Clippers have made the playoffs each of the last five seasons, they were bounced in the first round twice and the second round three times.

How much more convenient is it to just convince yourself something you’ve already won is more important, rather than bank on winning an NBA title to legitimize your career? It definitely seems like a cop-out for Jordan.

But for argument’s sake, let’s just say he legitimately believes gold medals are above NBA rings, and let’s discuss why that’s nonsense.

Again, Olympic basketball has its place on the spectrum of accomplishments in the sport, but it simply doesn’t compare to winning an NBA title.

The level of competition in the NBA is so much greater than that of the Olympics, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to say winning a gold medal is more of an accomplishment. There’s a reason all the non-USA basketball teams have rosters comprised largely of players who aren’t in the NBA.

It’s because most of those players can’t make it in the league. The only reason they’re even on their national team is because there aren’t enough NBA-caliber players from that specific country.

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Further, it’s much easier to ride the coattails of teammates in Olympic basketball than it is in the NBA. Team USA, even though they had several close games, is an absolute force of nature.

They’re simply far and away a better team than anyone else in the tournament, making it much easier for each individual player to snag a gold medal.

Just look at Carmelo Anthony, who has never been able to lead his team to an NBA title, but managed to win a gold medal despite averaging just 12.1 points per game in the Olympics.

Melo recently said he would be satisfied if he ended his career with three gold medals and no NBA championships. While having three gold medals and being Team USA’s all-time leading scorer is nothing to scoff at, winning an NBA title is infinitely more impressive.

It’s starting to seem like players are valuing gold medals just as much if not more so than NBA championships, which is upsetting to see. Having one or more Olympic gold medals is cool, but it’s not a replacement for winning the big one in the NBA.

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Players need to avoid being satisfied with strictly Olympic success because it is not a replacement for having success in the most difficult and competitive basketball league in the world.