Serbian star Bogdan Bogdanovic taunted Carmelo Anthony during Thursday’s Olympic basketball semifinal against Team USA, adding fuel to an already hotly contested game.
Anthony, sitting courtside, didn’t look happy as Bogdanovic nailed a 3-pointer during the second quarter to put Serbia up 15 and then stared at Anthony and stole his infamous “Three to the Dome” celebration.
After the play, LeBron James, Anthony’s longtime close friend, quickly approached Bogdanovic, who stars for the Hawks, and got into what looked like a heated confrontation with the Serbian national star player.
The referees had to intervene in the skirmish and tell James several times to return to the USA bench, as Anthony shook his head in disapproval.
Shortly after the incident, James backed Bogdanovic down in the post before scoring on him and doing the “too small” gesture while pointing to the court.
Bogdanovic’s antics clearly stirred up some frustration in Team USA, although after cutting the deficit to single digits, they fell back behind 15 during the third quarter.
After the game, James immediately went up to Anthony and celebrated the victory with one of his best friends.
The U.S., led by James, Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid, furiously came back in the fourth quarter to win the game 95-91.
After the game, Bogdanovic blamed the referees for the defeat.
“We tried to talk to them [the referees]. They just walked away,” Bogdanovic told BasketNews after the game. “But it’s ok. The USA doesn’t need that type of help against us. You know, we didn’t have that type of help when they were grabbing us with two hands and all that.
“We played the best we could. We could have made a few more shots and saved a few more possessions at the end, but that’s basketball.”
USA guard Devin Booker also took offense to Bogdanovic’s taunting of Anthony.
“Respect the legends @stayme7o,” Booker posted on his Instagram Story.
Anthony is among the most decorated Olympic athletes in US history, having nabbed four medals during his career, including three golds, and playing in a record 31 games for Team USA.
USA now looks to snag a gold medal in the Olympics for the 18th time in 20 tournaments that they’ve participated in.
They are set to play France on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.