via Reuters
Paris 2024 Olympics – Basketball – Women’s Semifinal – United States vs Australia – Bercy Arena, Paris, France – August 09, 2024. Former basketball player Carmelo Anthony watches the match. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
via Reuters
Paris 2024 Olympics – Basketball – Women’s Semifinal – United States vs Australia – Bercy Arena, Paris, France – August 09, 2024. Former basketball player Carmelo Anthony watches the match. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Even though Team USA dominated the Paris Olympics, there were moments when the team needed an extra push from the sidelines, and that’s when Carmelo Anthony stepped in. We saw ‘Coach Melo’ shouting plays from the sidelines, especially during the Serbia match. At crunch time, even LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant started listening to Melo instead of coach Steve Kerr, and you know what happened next.
LeBron even posted an Instagram story with the caption, “I heard you loud and clear, my brother,” after Team USA’s win against Serbia. Melo breaks it all down on the 7pm Brooklyn podcast.
“I told them like, you gotta get out the mud like you gotta go get it, they ain’t gonna let you get it. Stop playing and go do what u do. I need you to go into that well of greatness that you probably dont wanna go into this early in the summer.” Melo said. As Team USA struggled against Serbia in the semi-finals, Melo, as a former USA player, kept pushing everyone to step up and bring their A-game. ‘Coach Melo’ urged them to stop messing around, dig deep, and grind through the tough spots.
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Remember the clutch shot KD nailed against Serbia in the last 34 seconds to give Team USA a 4-point lead? Guess who called that play? It was Melo from courtside. “You get what I am saying, like and the same thing goes for KD too like, come on, let everybody know like, get out the way, like Joel come set the pick and slip in and get out like give KD the top of the key, let him work and in those situations we needed everybody to be great at what they do,” Melo said.
As soon as LeBron reached half-court, Melo was directing Kevin Durant to either set a screen for LeBron or get open to receive the ball. KD followed that, and Melo pointed out that KD was wide open, telling LeBron to pass it to him. He also instructed Joel Embiid to either set a screen or clear out of the way entirely. Once Embiid cleared the space, Melo told Durant to go for an isolation play and take over, which is exactly what Durant did. It seemed like Durant and Embiid were a bit lost at that moment, and that’s when Melo’s expert advice stepped in and helped them secure the lead.
Polls of the day
Poll 1 of 5
Do you think Steve Kerr is the right coach for Team USA?
Absolutely
Not at all
Needs more time
Only if he changes his strategy
What aspect of Natasha Howard's personal life surprised you the most?
Her marriage to Jacqueline Howard
Her journey to the WNBA
Her off-court activism
Her family background
Whats your Perspective on:
Carmelo Anthony's truth bomb—Are USA Basketball stars failing under Steve Kerr's leadership?
Have an interesting take?
Which aspect of Lexie Hull's relationship with her twin sister Lacie is most inspiring?
On-court chemistry
Off-court support
Shared passion for basketball
Their identical twin bond
How do you feel about Caitlin Clark's admiration for Maya Moore?
Inspired
Indifferent
Annoyed
Proud
Although Melo wasn’t on the court, he still brought the heat from the sidelines, calling plays and showing mad love for his old squad.
Melo’s mantra: enjoy the game or it’s not worth it
Going down as one of the most prolific scorers in basketball history, we all know how much Melo loves the game. Melo himself has said it many times: “You’ve got to have fun on the court. If you ain’t having fun, then basketball ain’t fun.”
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Remember his game against Nigeria in 2012, where ‘Olympic Melo’ scored 37 points in just 14 minutes, which led to team USA having a 156-73 against Nigeria. Carmelo Anthony was a part of Team USA for a long 14 years and, during that run, he secured three Olympic medals and one bronze medal.
What’s your perspective on:
Carmelo Anthony's truth bomb—Are USA Basketball stars failing under Steve Kerr's leadership?
Have an interesting take?
After winning gold in his last Olympic tournament in Rio 2016, Melo said: “Most athletes don’t have an opportunity to say that they won a gold medal, better yet three gold medals.” Even though Melo never won an NBA championship ring, he has expressed satisfaction with how his career panned out, having excelled at every level of basketball—from high school to college to the Olympics.
And with Melo’s last act with Team USA at Paris, where he was calling the shots from the sidelines even though he wasn’t the coach, ‘Coach Melo’ really showed he’s still all about that basketball life. What do you think of Melo as a coach? Let us know in the comments.
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Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.
Debate
Carmelo Anthony's truth bomb—Are USA Basketball stars failing under Steve Kerr's leadership?