“Clown A** Olympians”: When Carmelo Anthony Roasted the US Men’s National Team During 2016 Rio Olympics

With the 2024 Paris Olympics just around the corner, basketball fans on social media are sharing clips from previous editions of the event, reminiscing some of Team USA’s best and most hilarious moments. In the sea of memories, one in particular has gone viral on social media. It features Carmelo Anthony mocking the entire roster with rib-tickling nicknames and insults and jokingly referring to them as clowns.

The 2016 US Men’s Basketball Team, also known as the ‘meme-team’ was the first group of NBA players that chronicled their Olympic journey on social media. The roster, spearheaded by Anthony and Kevin Durant got the job done for their country, winning gold. But while doing so, they also entertained fans with their shenanigans.

While on the trip, the then-New York Knicks superstar took to Snapchat to troll his teammates once they reached Rio. In the viral clip, Anthony says,

“These are my clown a*s Olympians right here. New to Snapchat and all that. Look at him, Jimmy Hendrix (camera pans to DeAndre Jordan). Othella Harrington (pans to a shadowboxing DeMarcus Cousins). Look at that n***a, disgusting, ugly a*s (pans to Jimmy Butler playing cards).”

 

The 2016 US Men’s Basketball Team that flew to Rio wasn’t among the strongest the country has fielded at the Olympics. But it was still an impressively strong roster. Anthony and guard Kyle Lowry were the only players aged 30 or more.

The rest of the team was made up of young stars like Golden State Warriors trio Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Harrison Barnes, then-Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler, 26-year-old Paul George, and Kyrie Irving, who had just won the NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While the roster outside of Durant and Anthony wasn’t as experienced on the international stage, they made light work of the competition. They won their five pre-tournament exhibition games by an average margin of 43 points and carried that form into the tournament in Rio. They went unbeaten in the group stage and set up a quarterfinal clash against Argentina.

The South Americans were no match for the might of the reigning champions, who won 105-78. Their next game against Spain was arguably their toughest. The tenacious Spaniards fought hard, but Team USA held on to win 82-76.

The gold medal match was a repeat of the final group game between the USA and Serbia, which finished 94-91 in the defending champions’ favor. However, the final was a lopsided affair as Durant scored 30 points in a 96-66 hammering of the Serbians to help Team USA complete a hattrick of gold medal wins at the Olympics.

The 2024 roster will look to emulate the 2016 team in bringing home the gold medal. However, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to match the vibes of the ‘clown a*s’ team that flew to Rio.