Since the US Men's National Basketball Team recently won their 3rd straight Olympic Gold medal in Rio, an NBA superstar named Carmelo Anthony became the 1st player in Olympic basketball history to win three Gold Medals. Since Carmelo Anthony, or Melo, has never won an NBA title, everyone has asked which is more important: An NBA Title or an Olympic Gold Medal?
I like to take all arguments & comparisons to their core. So let's break it down.
First and foremost, in the Olympics you represent your country & compete against other countries to see who has the best team & players on the planet. In the NBA, there are franchises that give money to players to join their team. So the 1st thing to point out is that playing in the Olympics is about pride. Playing in the NBA is about a paycheck.
The NBA is a basketball organization, albeit with foreign players, that is based in America. The Olympic Games are played on a global scale (as far as competition) usually on neutral ground. Also, Olympic teams have tryouts and only the best players can represent their country. The NBA selects their teams based on salary capabilities & their ability to get available players. So, in my mind, the Olympic level is more selective & exclusive.
There are at least five players in my lifetime who deserved to win an NBA Title who didn't. They did, however, win Olympic Gold medals during their careers. So I would have to say the Olympics mean more as far as a career achievement than an NBA Title. But the recent 2016 Summer Olympics, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, had one player representing the USA that has won both now: Kyrie Erving. This is what he has to say:
Interesting. Straight from the horse's mouth. However Kyrie Erving has won an NBA Title (including Finals MVP) & an Olympic Gold Medal in the last 6 months. Maybe the exclusivity is lost on him. Maybe not. His 2016 Olympic teammate DeAndre Jordan has not yet won an NBA Title. Let's hear his opinion:
Is it because Jordan hasn't won an NBA Title that he said that? You be the judge.
However, I have to stand by my argument. The selectivity & rarity of Olympic Gold (given every four years to the best country in the world) as opposed to an NBA Title (given to the best team every year in one organization) should speak for itself. The key word I consider is "exclusive". There are many bench warmers who have NBA Titles & Hall of Fame players that don't. But ALL the Hall of Fame players from the NBA that have participated in the Olympics have an Olympic Gold Medal.
This is really a tough call & there are no wrong answers. I simply have my opinions & I stand by them. Despite Kyrie Erving's opinions, I think pride beats money every time or why would these players play in the Olympics at all? However, I encourage you to be the judge & leave your comments below.
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