Carmelo Anthony became the United States’ all-time leading scorer in Olympic competition in the first quarter against Australia on Wednesday. Anthony has upped his Olympic career total to 293 points, passing LeBron James, who previously held the record with 273 points.
Carmelo Anthony becomes Team USA Basketball’s all-time leading Olympic scorer
No American has scored more points in Olympic competition than Carmelo Anthony.
Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Anthony apparently wanted to get the record out of the way early. The New York Knicks star hit a trio of early three-pointers to pass David Robinson (270 points) for second all-time, then passed James minutes later. He started the game third on the all-time list with 262 points.
In the win over Australia, Anthony finished with 31 points in 35 minutes.
This is Anthony’s fourth time playing in the Olympics. He made his debut as part of the disappointing 2004 team that won a bronze medal in Athens, then helped rebuild the USA Basketball program that’s re-established itself as the global juggernaut. Now he’s on his way to a three-peat in Olympic golds and stands as one of the most prolific international basketball players of all time.
In the Americans’ Rio opener against China, Anthony was somewhat quiet, recording nine points on 2-of-5 shooting in 20 minutes. He was more productive against Venezuela, going for 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting in 24 minutes.
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