"I get to be a parent": Carmelo Anthony reveals upside of not playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics
Carmelo Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star, attended the 2024 Olympics in Paris not as a player but as a spectator. Anthony sat courtside with his son, Kiyan Anthony, in most of the United States men's team matchups.
The "Meet The Afroballers" podcast welcomed Anthony on Saturday as its first guest from the Paris Olympics, where he talked about his basketball career.
"I'm enjoying it," Anthony said (Timestamp: 1:30.) "Like, I get a chance to just chill out and vibe and not have too much pressure on me to go play a game. I'm a spectator, I'm a fan. I get to be a parent. I just get to just be a fan."
When asked about his feelings going back into those same spaces and how he perceives the game now, Anthony said:
"It's a different feeling. It's a different, like, relief. You can just show up and just enjoy it. You can enjoy the purity of the game and not have to deal with the political side of the game and the competitive side of the game. I mean, my competitive juice is still be flowing. ... I'd be super locked into the game because I just rather focus on the art of the game and not focus on the competition."
Stephen A. Smith criticizes Carmelo Anthony for his remarks on trading Olympic medal with NBA ring
NBA icon Carmelo Anthony recently said that an Olympic medal is more meaningful to him and that he would never trade his gold medals for an NBA ring.
"Winning a gold medal, it's the passion, it's the pride that you have, not just for a city or a state, but for a whole nation, a whole country you're winning for," Anthony told BasketNews.
On ESPN's "First Take," Stephen A. Smith criticized Anthony for the comment.
"I almost cried when I heard that Carmelo said that," Smith said. "That is maybe the most ridiculous comment I've ever heard come out of his mouth.
"I couldn't believe he said something so utterly ridiculous. That was just ridiculous for him to say. ... I couldn't believe he said that. … Damn it, go to a French restaurant and avoid the cameras. Don't say that."
Carmelo Anthony played 19 NBA seasons but never won a championship. His best season was in 2009 with Denver when he led the Nuggets to the Western Conference finals, where they suffered a six-game loss to the LA Lakers.