NBC Olympics.com – With 14 points in the first half of the United States' third game of the 2016 Olympics, Carmelo Anthony became the United States' all-time leading scorer with points 276.
He scored the first nine points on three triples for the U.S. against Australia.
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Anthony started the game third on the all-time list behind David Robinson (270) and LeBron James (273). Anthony passed Michael Jordan (256) on the all-time list against Venezuela.
The three-time Olympic medalist was playing in his 26th Olympic game, also a U.S. record. Anthony broke Robinson and James' all-time record for games played in the previous game and thus will continue to set a new mark in each game he plays in.
One of the most prolific international players of all-time, a gold medal at the Rio Games will also make Anthony the United States' most decorated men's Olympic basketball player. ‘Melo won back-to-back gold medals at the Beijing and London Olympics after winning bronze in Athens.
In 2012, Anthony set the U.S. record for most points in a single Olympic contest with 37 against Nigeria. He also holds the record for most three-point field goals made in U.S. Olympic history.
Anthony is the longest tenured USA Basketball Olympian and was a central member of the program's systematic overhaul after the 2004 Olympics. As many of his Olympic teammates from the 2008 and 2012 teams opted to forgo the Rio Games, Anthony, the oldest member of the 2016 roster, chose to keep his streak alive and suit up for the United States for a fourth time this summer.
"Deciding to play for Team USA was very difficult," Anthony told NBC after being named to the team. "But for me, it was more about legacy, you know, having a chance to win three gold medals, bringing these guys along with me to experience that, it don't get better than that."