Carmelo Anthony‘s loyalty to the U.S. Men’s Olympic team is not to be questioned. He’s been a part of the glory since his high school days. Now at the age of 32, he’s more than ready to bring home a gold medal for the USA.
He was apart of the 2008 and 2012 gold-medal victories in the Olympics and he achieved bronze with his team in 2004. So with those trophies sitting in the case, Melo is looking to add more hardware, even if it means he’ll be without some dominant NBA stars.
“A lot of people told me “Don’t do it. Don’t do it. For what?” I actually enjoy it. I’ve been part of USA basketball since I was a junior or senior in high school. I actually enjoy it,” Melo said on his decision to play in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, James Harden, are just a handful of the names of superstars not participating in 2016 play.
“It was a difficult decision to make,” Melo said. “”Due to all the things that’s going on over there [Brazil]. Due to guys dropping out. Guys not playing. Guys that, we was kind of used to playing with each other.”
With a group of young guys, Melo takes a role as the leader. He’s optimistic about what the Olympics, making sure the guys are ready to go as well.
“It’s a new a new batch of guys… I get a chance to go out there and kind of be the leader of the team. Lead these guys and kind of enjoy it. For me, it’s about going over there and having fun. Getting that fun feeling back, getting enjoyment back… And it’s time to get another gold medal.”
