Los Angeles Clippers center and USA basketball player Deandre Jordan made some interesting comments to ESPN about gold medals and NBA championships. Jordan told ESPN he thinks winning a gold medal is above winning an NBA championship.
Jordan and the rest of team USA beat Serbia 96-66 in the gold medal game on Aug. 21. Jordan got the gold medal that he cherished so much. But is a gold medal really better than an NBA ring?
Winning a gold medal is definitely something to take a ton of pride in. The Olympics host some of the most prestigious sporting events, even though the committee tries to make it all about money. But that is a conversation for another day.
Deandre Jordan has every right to think that a gold medal is better than a ring, but that does not mean he is necessarily right.
First off, the USA basketball roster is so much better than the rest of the Olympic field, even without guys such as Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James to name a few.
No team in the field could slow down the USA offense. The USA defense had some struggles throughout, but they still had moments when the other team couldn't get clean looks.
The point being that the Olympic basketball field is nowhere near as talented as the players in the NBA. USA cruised to a gold medal. No, they literally did. They stayed on a cruise ship during their time in Rio. It was like a vacation in a way for the players. Winning an NBA championship is no vacation.
Is Jordan just trying to convince himself that a gold medal is better because he has not been successful at winning a ring? Heck, he hasn't even gotten to conference finals yet.
The Clippers have been a contender in the last few seasons, but they always seem to fall short. Whether the injury bug hits them at the wrong time or they run into the wrong team, the playoffs haven't been kind to them.
Maybe Jordan knows it is unlikely he will ever get an NBA ring and that winning the gold medal will be the highlight of his career. From a competitor's standpoint, I would not like that.
If I was one of the best centers in the league, which Jordan is, I would hope the highlight of my career would be winning a championship with my other star teammates. I would want to beat the best like Steph Curry and Lebron James to make a legacy. Deandre Jordan values his vacation that included winning a gold medal as a souvenir, instead.
Mike Smith is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. What did you enjoy most about the Rio Olympics? Let Mike know by emailing him at ms983012@ohio.edu
