Carmelo Anthony is among the 75 greatest players in NBA history. He won an NCAA title and three Olympic gold medals during his Hall of Fame career. However, despite his best efforts, he retired without hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy. As unfortunate as that may be, he claimed he was content with his accomplishments and wouldn’t trade his gold medals for an NBA title. But Stephen A. Smith isn’t buying that.
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After the Knicks icon told BasketNews that he valued his Olympic accomplishments as much as winning an NBA title, the analyst called him out and labeled it a bogus claim. On ESPN’s First Take, Smith said,
“That is maybe the most ridiculous comment I’ve ever heard come out of his mouth. And everybody knows how much I love my man Melo… I couldn’t believe he said something so utterly ridiculous.”
Stephen A. Smith rips Carmelo Anthony for saying he wouldn’t trade his gold medals for an NBA ring
"That is maybe the most ridiculous comment I've ever heard come out of his mouth. … I couldn't believe he said something so utterly ridiculous.”pic.twitter.com/CYy43u2IAG
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) August 15, 2024
He added that he wished Anthony retired with at least one championship win and rooted for him throughout his career. However, he said that he was baffled by his comments. For the uninitiated, Smith is a lifelong Knicks fan. He’s never shied from airing his frustration about the franchise’s 51-year title drought.
Anthony, who spent six years with the Knicks, was expected to be the savior who’d end the city’s long wait for a championship. However, the furthest they ever went with the forward on the roster was the second round.
The future Hall of Famer’s comments about not wanting to swap his medals for an NBA championship stung Knicks fans, like Smith, who are desperate to see their team win the title.
The analyst is dismayed about Anthony’s comments because he seemingly believes that the retired star was downplaying the value of a championship by comparing it to an Olympic gold medal. However, that’s far from the truth.
The 10-time All-Star’s logic for passing on the opportunity to swap medals for a title was pretty sound. During his conversation with BasketNews, he said,
“For me, a medal means something totally different than an NBA Championship. Both have their own separate meaning but winning a gold medal, it’s the passion, it’s the pride that you have not just for a city or a state, for whole nation, whole country that you’re winning it for.”
Anthony aptly explained that cities win championships, but countries win Olympic gold medals. For that reason, he could not swap them for a ring. As upset as Smith is about the Knicks icon’s statement, it’s hard to argue against it.
