Photo via: Yahoo Sports

Olympic Gold or NBA Ring?

This summer’s Olympics have been good for Carmelo Anthony so far. Anthony passed LeBron James becoming the all-time points leader for Team USA. In an interview during the Olympics Anthony said that if he didn’t get an NBA ring he would consider his career great. Anthony is looking to become the only four-time gold medalist for USA Basketball. Fellow Olympic teammate DeAndre Jordan said that Gold Medals are above a NBA ring because you’re playing teams from all over the world and this happens only every four years.

For these players to show that kind of appreciation to be on Team USA and what it means to represent your country is good for the Olympics. Even though the U.S. have been dominating the summer Olympics since the formation of the Dream Team in 1992, this shows how much it means to these players to play and win gold for their country. I think showing this level of interest and desire to win is good for the game to continue to expand throughout the world. While I believe it’s harder to win an NBA title because the overall level of talent in the NBA is better, winning a gold medal is hard no doubt and the pride of representing your country at a global event is definitely more special. Also, to play for Team USA you have to be among the elite players in the league.

So, only a handful of guys get the chance to play for Team USA and make the final roster for the Olympics. Being chosen for the Olympic team is an award in its own, so I think Anthony and Jordan have really great points. Some guys that are not at the level of Jordan and Anthony have NBA rings. They are both tough feats but only the elite players get the chance to play for Team USA and try to win Olympic gold.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *