Carmelo Anthony Says He'd Be Happy with 3 Gold Medals, No NBA Title

Carmelo Anthony is already one of the most successful Olympic basketball players in United States history. He is now in search of his record third gold medal this year in Rio de Janeiro, something he said would be satisfying, even if he never gets the chance to win an NBA title. 

Speaking to ESPN's Marc Stein, Anthony laid out the scenario in which he wouldn't view his career as a disappointment:

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Most athletes don't have an opportunity to say that they won a gold medal, better yet three gold medals. 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.

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Anthony was sure to emphasize that he would be able to "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."

He also noted that while "the goal" in the NBA is to win a title every year, the Olympics are special because you only get the chance to win it all "every four years."

The 2016 Olympics have already been notable for Anthony. He scored 31 points in a 98-88 win over Australia on Wednesday that moved him atop the U.S. men's basketball scoring list, surpassing the 273 career points LeBron James had in three trips to the Olympics. 

Spending his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, Anthony has made the playoffs 10 times and only made it past the first round twice. The Knicks have missed the postseason each of the last three seasons, winning 86 games during that span. 

At 32 years old, Anthony is reaching the end of his career, but certainly retirement is not imminent. And if he can be the first American men's basketball player to win three career Olympic gold medals, it's impossible to call his career a failure or even a disappointment. 

It will be sad if Anthony, who has been one of the league's best players for 13 years, doesn't get a chance to play for a title. That doesn't mean it has to define his legacy, though, especially with a mantle already full of Olympic medals.