Three-to-the-temple — Carmelo Anthony‘s go-to signature celebration throughout his career but also a move that stirred controversy. Surprisingly, not long ago, but in the 2024 Paris Olympics itself. If you witnessed Team USA vs Serbia, you’d remember Bogdan Bogdanovic recreating Melo’s signature move targeted at Anthony sitting on the courtside. This received some backlash from the fans and also a defeat at the hands of Team USA, as many perceived it as trash talk. Nonetheless, the two settled it like grown men in the next few days. More recently, though, Melo approved a 19-year-old AFL star to use his signature move.

The AFL player in discussion is Harley Reid. The top pick in the 2023 Australian Football League draft has had a breakout season with the West Coast Eagles. His 18.6 disposals, 10.0 handballs, and 4.0 tackles per game speak volumes about an impressive run he is having for a rookie. Sure, his 8.6 kicks per game could be better, but his 5.0 clearances in the first 20 games are nothing short of remarkable.

Seemingly though, that’s not what may have grabbed Melo’s attention. Reid has a habit of celebrating his big plays with—yep, you guessed it—Melo’s aforementioned three-to-the-temple move. And rather than being offended, the 10x NBA All-Star has approved the rights to this move in a video call with the 19-year-old, as per a recent article by The West Australian.

“Listen, you can have it over here in Australia… Anytime you score, you got that,” Anthony said on the call. Now, if you’re wondering why Melo was okay with Reid using the celebration but there was all that buzz with Bogdanovic, don’t worry, you’re not alone. But here’s where it gets interesting. According to Melo, the Paris Olympics moment wasn’t about trash talk at all.

Carmelo Anthony and Kiyan clear the air around the Serbian star’s celebration against Team USA

As mentioned earlier, many fans saw Bogdan Bogdanovic’s move as a disrespect to Carmelo Anthony. But what if that wasn’t the case at all? On his podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn, the 10x All-Star himself cleared the air. “It was real-time, real s*ht going on,” he stated.

Melo explained he was actually impressed by the Serbian star’s 3-point shot. But he could not react in appreciation because the shot came against his own team. “I appreciate everybody taking my side, but the real s*ht was he was showing love,” he said. Still confused? Consider Bogdanovic’s move as a mark of respect to Melo and not a taunt against him or Team USA.

Even Melo’s son, Kiyan, weighed in on the situation during an episode of Sloane Knows. Sitting courtside with his dad that day, the 17-year-old saw it from the same perspective. “I feel like it wasn’t no disrespect when (Bogdan) did his little celebration,” he said. In fact, Kiyan revealed, despite their on-court encounters, the two stars have been friends. Bogdanovic even shared a shoutout he got from Melo soon after that heated game.

Interestingly, Melo was also present for the Bronze Medal game between Serbia and Germany, where he congratulated Bogy. So it should not come as a surprise that Carmelo Anthony approved a 19YO AFL star to use his signature move. He is not as possessive about it as some may think.

Stay tuned for more updates. Join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host, BG12, sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.