What do Carmelo Anthony and DeAndre Jordan have in common? On the surface, not much other than being teammates on the 2016 Team USA Olympic roster and fellow NBA players.
However, it appears they also share the same perspective on what winning a gold medal means to them.
Last week, Anthony said he would be fine with three gold medals over winning an NBA championship. Now, LA Clippers center Jordan has echoed those statements and indicated that he’d rather win an Olympic gold medal than an NBA title.
He flat out told ESPN that he believed winning gold medals is more important than winning NBA titles.
“I may get in trouble for saying that, but I believe that. I feel like this is more special. You’re not just playing teams in the U.S. You’re playing teams from all over the world. And this is even more special because there’s an NBA champion crowned every year, but this is every four years.
“You’ve got to really think about that, man, because it’s extremely special.”
It certainly is an interesting prospective, but one that also shows a divide between those players who have won NBA championships and those who haven’t. Both Anthony and Jordan have yet to reach the NBA Finals, let alone won a title.
A win in Rio would give Jordan an Olympic gold medal for the first time and Anthony his third. Jordan also backed up Anthony’s claims over his career from last week.
“To be the first person to do anything, you’re a legend. If he’s the first [American basketball player] to play in four Olympics, he’s a legend. If he’s the first [American] to win three gold medals on the basketball stage, you gotta respect that guy. I will say that he had a great career regardless of what other people say.”
Jordan hasn’t hid his excitement over his first Olympic team selection, speaking a lot in the month leading up to the games about his overall excitement. So, it should come as no surprise that he also believes winning a gold medal is the pinnacle of one’s career.
Perhaps more of that attitude amongst the rest of the Team USA roster will help right a ship that has nearly cracked completely in the last three games of group play.
Team USA plays Argentina in the quarterfinals later Wednesday, and should it win, will face the winner between Spain and France.
[ESPN]
