Carmelo Anthony is one of the all-time greats in the history of the United States basketball team. He was a leading player on the USA teams that won gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016. He scored at least 31 points in a game twice at the Olympics. There was a time when Anthony was the all-time leading scorer for the USA basketball team, although he has since been surpassed by two players who are still playing.
The U.S. team is one win away from winning its fifth consecutive gold medal in men’s basketball. Today (August 10), they face France in the gold medal game. Since NBA players were first allowed to compete in the Olympics in 1992, the U.S. team has won gold more than once. That was in 2004, when they finished third for bronze.
Anthony, the 10th all-time leading scorer in NBA history, was recently interviewed by BasketNews. In the interview, Anthony named his top five players of all time for the USA men’s basketball team. He deservedly included himself, and here are the other four he also selected.
Carmelo Anthony names the best starting eleven of his team USA
Carmelo Anthony
Anthony played for the U.S. team in four Olympics, winning three gold medals and one bronze. After playing little on the disappointing 2004 bronze-winning team, he played a major role on the three gold-medal teams. He scored 37 points against Nigeria in 2012, a single-game record for the U.S. team. Anthony’s 336 points in the Olympics are the third most in U.S. men’s basketball history.
Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley, known as “The Round Mound of Rebound,” was part of the famous 1992 Dream Team. He was the historic team’s leading scorer, averaging 18.0 points in eight games en route to an effortless gold medal. Barkley also won gold for Team USA in 1996. During his Olympic participation, he made an incredible 74.4% of his shots.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant competed in two Olympic Games for the U.S. team, winning gold medals in 2008 and 2012. In the two gold medal games (both against Spain), Bryant scored a total of 37 points and eight assists. He averaged 13.6 points in his 16 Olympic appearances.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is one win over France away from becoming the first player in men’s basketball history to win four gold medals. He recently passed Lisa Leslie as the U.S. team’s all-time leading scorer on both the men’s and women’s teams. The 35-year-old currently has 503 points (and counting) at the Olympics. Durant has performed best in gold medal games, scoring 30 points and grabbing nine rebounds against Spain in 2012. He finished with 30 points again in the 2016 gold medal game. He scored 29 points and grabbed six rebounds against France at the 2020 Olympics (which actually took place in 2021).
Lebron James
After missing the last two Olympics for the U.S. team, LeBron James is one win away from his third gold medal. He won gold in 2008 and 2012 and a bronze in 2004. James recently passed Anthony as the second-leading scorer in U.S. men’s basketball history (he currently has 344 points). In a 2012 game against Australia, he recorded a triple-double with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists.
