HoopsHype posted a neat chart over the weekend ranking players by the amount of international basketball they've played since 2000. As you might expect, friends from foreign countries (Argentina and Spain in particular) dominate the top of the list, with no Americans appearing in the top 28 of 124. Tied for 29th, though, is the Knicks' own Carmelo Anthony, who has quietly represented his country at nearly every opportunity since he became eligible, doing so more than any of his American contemporaries. He's played in three Olympics (two gold medals), two FIBA competitions, and one Junior World Championship thing. His only absence of note, as far as I can tell, was declining to play in the 2010 FIBA World Championship, which, as you might recall, put him in the company of like a dozen other top players. Melo is the most American of all the Americans. Dude even showed up for the showcase in Las Vegas last week because he loves America so much.
Anyway, pretty cool. Melo's played quite a bit of basketball over the years, perhaps because he is supremely patriotic, perhaps because his style is especially suited to international play, perhaps because he likes to travel, or perhaps because he just loves basketball games.
Other Knicks on the list: Pablo Prigioni (tied for 7th), Andrea Bargnani (tied for 21st), and Amar'e Stoudemire (tied for 90th).