A lot may not agree, but anyway. Team USA’s semi-final clash against Serbia turned out as the most intense game of the Paris Olympics basketball tournament. The dominant US side, which claimed to have a sure-shot gold medal, almost lost its footing, thanks to Nikola Jokić and Bogdan Bogdanovic’s fighting efforts. Especially the Atlanta Hawks star kept the audience on their feet with his heated-up antics against LeBron James and his former teammate, Carmelo Anthony. Days after the intense clash, Melo opened up about the much-debated situation.

One may wonder how Carmelo was part of the debate if he wasn’t on the team’s roster. Well, he had to face Bogdanovic’s antics from the courtside. The Hawks player scored a team-high 20 points with 3 three-pointers. During this impactful stint, he tangled up in a scuffle with King James. Above all, he was seen impersonating Melo’s famous ‘Three-To-The-Dome’ celebration whenever he sunk a bucket from the perimeter and a verbal back and forth as well. Fans across the Hoop nation considered it as a disrespect to the 40-year-old legend.

However, in a recent episode of 7 PM in Brooklyn show, Carmelo Anthony cleared the air. When the hosts picked up the fans’ emotion and asked about the disrespect angle, Anthony completely squashed it. The former star said, “No, it wasn’t like that… it was real time, real sh*t going on. Him and Bron got into it… I’m not even saying nothing to Bogy. I’m congratulating him, I’m like, ‘I like that’. As he is playing, he makes a shot, ‘I like that. Okay, I see you,’ I’m talking that sh*t to him.”

Moreover, stressing the disrespect angle, Melo continued, “That (Three-to-the-dome) was respect. He do that in Atlanta… He’s been doing it so I knew what it was but I think because we had to choose a side right… So I appreciate everybody taking my side, but the real sh*t was it was he was showing love, admiration.”

How did Bogdan Bogdanovic receive the loss?

Carmelo Anthony clarified that he didn’t consider Bogdanovic’s celebration as disrespectful. It didn’t just convey it only through the show. Melo made it clear right after the game. Reacting to the Serbian star’s IG post after the game, the legend commented “Respec7”. However, the Hawks star didn’t seem impressed with the loss.

The Serbian captain took a shot at Team USA after the loss. He said, “We tried to talk to them (refs); they didn’t try to talk to us. They just walked away. But it’s ok. The USA doesn’t need that type of help against us. You know, we didn’t have that type of help when they were grabbing us with two hands and all that.” 

Nikola Jokić & Co. dominated the game throughout the first three-quarter with a 17-point lead at a point. However, the US side came alive in the fourth quarter with a 32-15 run to seal a close 95-91 win. Bogdanovic broke into tears after the final horn and, importantly, the US players reached out to him with a hug and consoled the star for the fighting effort. What do you make of the Melo-Bogdanovic situation? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.