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Carmelo, Durant named 2016 USA Basketball Male Athletes of the Year

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant were named co-recipients of the 2016 USA Basketball Male Athletes of the Year award for their parts in leading the United States to gold at Rio 2016.

Durant led the team in scoring with 19.4 points per game, while Anthony ranked second at 12.1 points while providing veteran leadership to an inexperienced roster.

It's the third such honor for Anthony and the second for Durant, matching their respective gold medal tallies.

"It’s a tremendous honor," Durant said in a statement. "I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to play for my country, and I tried to go out there and play as hard as I could and represent as much as I can. I’m grateful that I played with such great teammates and a great staff that were able to help me get this award."

"It is an incredible honor to represent the USA at the Olympics, and to be given this award for the third time, it’s just humbling," Anthony said. "Without Kevin Durant, the rest of my teammates and an incredibly dedicated coaching staff, earning such a prestigious award like this would not be possible."

USA basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski praised both players for their leadership.

"Along with their amazing talent, Carmelo and Kevin brought experience and veteran steadiness to a team that had 10 first-time Olympians on it," Krzyzewski said.

"Their leadership, often by example, and ability to handle difficult situations professionally and effectively were huge assets to the 2016 USA Basketball National Team. Their games translate very well to international basketball, and their numbers reflect that. I greatly admire both of these men – first as immensely talented basketball players, but even more as better people who are tremendous role models in our sport."

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