Friday was not a good day for Team USA basketball, as the squad suffered a stunning 113-111 loss to Germany in the semifinal round of the FIBA World Cup.
The loss means that the best the squad can do is to claim the bronze medal by defeating Canada on Sunday.
Carmelo Anthony, a veteran of USA Basketball, was in the stands for Team USA’s ill-timed loss, which took place in the Philippines.
He reflected on his time representing our country, and it has been a long national team career indeed for him.
"I feel like I've been [on] Team USA longer than anybody in USA history… The experience is worth it. I don't regret none of it."
Carmelo Anthony is very grateful for his time spent with Team USA 🇺🇸
(via @OneSportsPHL)pic.twitter.com/dKzXjabfGX
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 8, 2023
Anthony’s time with Team USA began in the summer of 2004 just after he completed his rookie season in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets.
He teamed up with LeBron James, Allen Iverson, and Tim Duncan in Athens for the Summer Olympics, but the Americans fell short, only winning the bronze medal in what was seen as a major failure.
Team USA went through a massive overhaul over the next few years, as Duke University’s Mike Krzyzewski was brought in to be the head coach, while Kobe Bryant, the best player in the world during that era, finally got to suit up for it.
But Anthony remained an important constant.
It once again only won a bronze medal in the 2006 FIBA World Championship, but in the 2008 Olympics, the squad, known as the “Redeem Team” that year, won the gold medal in Beijing.
Anthony continued to play for the United States and earned gold medals in the 2010 FIBA World Championship, the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
Of course, he is mostly known for his prolific NBA career, which spanned 19 seasons and saw him score over 28,000 points while making the All-Star team 10 times.
But Anthony has been quite the patriot by being a mainstay for Team USA for over a decade.
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