The Olympics is the holy grail for any athlete worth their penny in their respective sport. Representing one’s country in the Olympic games is something that instills pride in anyone. Winning a medal in the world’s games is a Herculean task. For starters, in technicality, the entire world is eligible to compete for that medal and there are thousands who would just kill for a chance to stand on the podium and hear their national anthems being played.
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But how do circumstances change when one treats winning the gold as a birthright? Well, apparently they throw their “losing” medals into a lake somewhere. At least, that is what USA Basketball’s once all-time top scorer, Carmelo Anthony did with his Bronze medal.
Carmelo Anthony and Team USA “only” won the Bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
With America being the most powerful nation in basketball terms, winning the Gold at the Olympics started to be treated as a given. Team USA’s Olympic History makes for incredible viewing – 16 Gold medals, 1 Silver medal, and 2 Bronze medals in 19 appearances. Not a single appearance that went medal-less, i.e.
Anthony, one of the biggest names in 21st-century NBA basketball, happened to be a part of the 2004 Bronze “debacle”. And the medal seemed to have hung like an albatross around his neck. Physically at least, it may not have been around his neck for long and seems to be the occupant of a lake.
Video footage of Melo interacting with a Baltimore hood is the origin of that assumption. A young Anthony is seen harassed by the people around him for winning a “penny” at the Olympics. And the young star seems to admit to throwing his medal into a lake somewhere.
When heckled by someone in the crowd Melo admits to “throwing the motherf*****r overseas”. A laughing Melo is pictured clarifying it’s in a lake somewhere. You can see it all happen in the YouTube clip below.
While his intention to be rid of the Bronze medal was evident, it would appear the story was fake. Perhaps Anthony picked off a page from the book of his “Banana boat” crewmate, LeBron “LeCap” James.
Carmelo Anthony actually auctioned his Bronze medal off for a healthy $14,080.
Melo, according to a family member of his, cashed in on his Bronze medal after gifting it. Anthony “no longer cared to have the medal in his possession” revealed sources involved in the auction.
Anthony has since redeemed himself and his country in spectacular fashion. Melo was a part of three Gold medal-winning Team USA rosters subsequently. The Bronze medal that sprung the redemption, however, wasn’t memorabilia Melo sought to keep, evidently.
Auctioning the medal certainly isn’t as disrespectful as throwing it in a lake. One man’s fortune most certainly is another man’s trash in this case.
