The 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece was a dark chapter for the USA Men’s Basketball Team as they could only clinch a bronze medal. It was an embarrassment for a team stacked with NBA superstars and future Hall-of-Famers. However, then-20-year-old Carmelo Anthony, who was part of the team, wasn’t culpable for the setback as he was mostly riding the bench.
But Melo still had the time of his life in Athens. In a conversation with Sue Bird on his 7 PM in Brooklyn pod, Melo discussed how the two had a blast in a nightclub called G32. The club was part of the RMS Queen Mary 2 ship, which served as a floating hotel for the Olympic athletes.
Both Bird and Anthony reminisced how the young players from both the men’s and women’s teams partied together and found camaraderie as the upcoming superstars of their respective leagues. However, at the time, they were playing only limited minutes in the Olympics which afforded them the luxury of taking it easy. The young stars from both squads fell in love with the G32 club where partying didn’t stop till the morning.
Here is how Melo summed up the experience. Bird remembered how the meetings at G32 left them with a yearning to chill together even more. She recalled shouting “ G32 ” on the podium after the women’s team earned yet another gold medal.
Then the duo remembered the time when they hung out at the club for the last time before leaving Greece. When the bus to the airport was delayed from 4 AM to 6 AM, it brought some ne.