Anthony ends international career after third gold

After becoming the first man to win three Olympic gold medals in basketball on Sunday with the United States' 96-66 blowout of Serbia, Carmelo Anthony hung up his international sneakers.

Anthony - nine-time NBA All-Star - played 18 minutes in the championship game at Rio 2016, scoring seven points and hauling in seven rebounds.

The 32-year-old team captain was a valuable member offensively and defensively throughout the tournament, and has been one of the faces in USA basketball for over a decade.

"It was a special moment for me," Anthony said in an emotional interview with NBC Sports after wrapping up his fourth Olympic run.

"I know this is the end. This is it for me."

"I committed to this in '04," added Anthony, who would be 36 for Tokyo 2020. "I've seen the worst and I've seen the best. I'm here today three gold medals later."

USA's men basketball team have now won a gold medal in six of the last seven Olympics, settling for bronze in Anthony's first year on the team in 2004, but it appears they will need to find a new team leader moving forward.