Carmelo Anthony Flexed His Seniority Over Jerry Colangelo During Heated Olympics Meeting, Reminisces Draymond Green

Carmelo Anthony’s selection into the Basketball Hall of Fame is a no-brainer. A national championship with Syracuse in his Freshman year, arguably the best USA Basketball Olympic player of all time, and an illustrious 19-season career all make for a pretty weighted resume. With the Hall officially announcing that Melo will be a first-ballot inductee this season, Draymond Green took to his podcast to reminisce on some old tales about Melo.

Green shared a locker room with Melo for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, and even there, in a collection of some of the best players the NBA had to offer, he knew one thing: Melo was the team’s go-to guy. Green recalled one particular time when Jerry Colangelo, the man who rejuvenated USA Basketball after their 2004 horror show in Athens, was giving the team a talking to.

Of course, being a relatively young team, all the players (Green included) sat there and “took it on the chin,” as the Warriors forward put it. After nearly 2 hours of this, Green claimed Melo stood up and said “Hey Jerry. We got it. We all grown men. We got it. Let’s move on now.”

Green claimed Melo’s words as the “OG” of the group carried such tremendous weight that the meeting ended immediately after he spoke up.

Of course, the “OG” title doesn’t come lightly. Melo was, and to this day remains, one of USA Basketball’s most storied Olympic campaigners. From 2004 to 2016, he played in 4 Olympics, and won 3 Gold medals and 1 Bronze medal.

Draymond, given the way he speaks of Melo, clearly respects him as a player and a mentor. But, Green still feared being matched up with him and called him one of the toughest assignments he’s ever had.

Draymond Green recalled guarding Carmelo Anthony in his rookie year

Green didn’t come into the league with the defensive reputation he has today. Back in his rookie year, he played backup to David Lee and unexpectedly found himself starting a game at MSG after Lee got suspended following a scuffle.

Of course, Green knew a game at the Garden meant guarding Melo. And as he recalled on Jeff Teague’s Club 520 Podcast, Melo’s ability to put pressure on the rim on almost every possession was unmatched in the league. At 6-foot-7 and 240 lbs, Melo had no trouble bullying his way to the rim or playing the low post, even if he was known for his faceup game.

As Green recalled, the first two possessions he played against Melo were both in the post, with the Knicks forward using his arsenal of footwork to get to the basket. He may have fouled him in the buildup, but Green knew from those two possessions that Carmelo Anthony would be as tough a cover as anyone he’d ever face in the league.

“The thing that Melo did different, from just about everyone, was the pressure he put at the rim,” Green said, to nods of agreement from Teague. “To put that type of pressure on the rim, all the time, I just think that makes you a tougher cover.”

That pressure on the rim was a godsend for Melo, as he accumulated nearly 29,000 points over his career.