The discussion of superstars who don’t end up winning NBA championships throughout their careers is one that is widely debated. Does it really matter if you win championships? Is that the be all and end all for what defines greatness in the game? Some would say that without a question it is a necessity. While others would argue that rings don’t define greatness, and it’s about how the individual dominates the game in their own way. Many have gone down as ‘ring-less’, greats like Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Steve Nash, Tracy McGrady never got a chance to claim the highest crown in the basketball world. Knicks superstar and 13-year veteran Carmelo Anthony is on the brink of joining that list.
He will attempt, he will most likely try his hardest to bring an NBA championship to the city of New York, but the road will be long and enduring, and there’s no saying how much longer Melo can produce at his highest level. That being said, Carmelo Anthony is enjoying himself. Playing in Rio De Janeiro with Team USA trying on his way to his 3rd gold medal, something he is very proud of. So proud that he claims he would be satisfied with having 3 gold medals even if he doesn’t end up with an NBA championship. According to Marc Stein of ESPN:
“Most athletes don’t have an opportunity to say that they won a gold medal, better yet three gold medals,” Anthony said. “I would be very happy walking away from the game knowing that I’ve given the game everything I have, knowing I played on a high level at every level: high school, college, won [a championship at Syracuse] in college and possibly three gold medals.
“I can look back on it when my career is over — if I don’t have an NBA championship ring — and say I had a great career.”
Melo recently put his name in the history books for Team USA, becoming the all-time leading scoring on his way to a 31 point game that included 9, 3-pointers and a win over Australia late Wednesday night. So now back to the question asked earlier. With Carmelo Anthony on his way to a 3rd gold medal, is greatness defined just by one means? This doesn’t mean that Melo won’t try to claim the highest honor in the NBA, the Larry O’Brien trophy, with his new cast of teammates in Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee, the eyes and pressure are on Carmelo and the Knicks to deliver.
