Carmelo Anthony is one of Team USA’s greatest players ever and has been an avid supporter of the program since his international retirement in 2016. Anthony shared his thoughts on what Team USA’s starting five could be at the 2028 Olympics, naming Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, and Bam Adebayo as his starters.
“You got Tatum, Ant, ‘Rese, AD, who would be in a ‘Bron situation, he’d be the old n***a on the team, so AD and Bam are core guys that they have to have there, provided they’re injury-free or anything.”
He also discussed the rotational players who’d be brought in to fill out the roster depth, naming the likes of Jrue Holiday, Jalen Brunson, and Paolo Banchero as further additions.
“Your 7-8-9 on the team are the most important. You still have Jrue, Jalen Brunson, and Paolo, it’s really the team from the World Cup last year with a couple of subtractions and additions. You still got Ja, who people have forgotten about… Zion, let’s not forget him as well.”
Anthony named a solid starting five, though Devin Booker‘s name being upset is surprising. Booker was one of the best players at the 2024 Paris Olympics and was referred to as Team USA’s unsung MVP by head coach Steve Kerr after winning Gold. If Booker is interested in playing at the 2028 Olympics, Team USA will not leave him out.
We still can’t predict what Kevin Durant‘s status will be come 2028. While he will be 40 years old by then, he can make Olympic history by winning Gold medals at five successive Olympics, extending his own record for men’s basketball from four consecutive Golds to five. Brian Windhorst has already said that Durant can’t be ruled out of contention right now, so we’ll have to keep our eyes on that.
Cooper Flagg isn’t even in the NBA yet but the projected No. 1 pick from the 2025 NBA Draft is expected to be in the running based on his incredible performance at the Team USA scrimmage earlier this summer as a 17-year-old.
Carmelo Wouldn’t Trade His 3 Olympic Golds For 1 NBA Title
Carmelo Anthony is a big supporter of USA Basketball, recently claiming that he wouldn’t trade the three Olympic Gold medals he won from 2008 to 2016 for one NBA Championship.
“No. When we talk about global sport, for me, a medal means something totally different than an NBA championship. They both have their own separate meanings, but winning a gold medal, it’s the passion, it’s the pride that you have, not just for a city or a state, for a whole nation, for a whole country, you’re winning for. USA across your chest, or you’re wearing Lithuania across your chest, right? It’s a totally different feeling than Knicks New York across your chest.”
Anthony’s sentiment is very strong, but most American players would agree that the degree of difficulty in winning an NBA title is not the same as winning an Olympic Gold when you’re representing the USA. Nonetheless, Anthony will continue supporting the program and serving as one of its ambassadors who younger players can look up to.
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