18) 1936 (Berlin)

Notable players: Joe Fortenberry, Francis Johnson, Frank Lubin, Sam Balter, Tex Gibbons
Coach: Jimmy Needles

Basketball made its debut as a competitive sport at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and it was hardly recognizable compared to today’s game. The contests were played outdoors on a court made out of clay and sand with something resembling a water-logged soccer ball. Several games ended with the losing team failing to crack double digits and the U.S. team’s first opponent, Spain, had to forfeit the game due to complications with the Spanish Civil War. With a roster was made up of spare parts from several AAU teams, the Americans rolled past Estonia and the Philippines to reach the medal round. They stomped Mexico, 25-10, in the semifinals, then played a war of attrition with Canada in the gold medal game. With torrential downpours sullying the outdoor court and rendering dribbling nearly impossible, U.S. captain Joe Fortenberry led all scorers with seven points in a 19-8 victory. Canadian-born sport inventor James Naismith was one of about 900 people who braved the weather to witness the historical game, and he handed out medals in the succeeding ceremony. With the NBA still a decade away from forming, most of the players either quit basketball after the Olympics or played some semi-pro ball before moving on to other pursuits.

17) 1952 (Helsinki)

Notable players: Clyde Lovellette, Bob Kurland, Bob Kenney, Ron Bontemps, Dan Pippin, Marc Freiberger
Coach: Warren Womble

Much of the credit for basketball becoming an Olympic sport goes to legendary Kansas coach Phog Allen, who campaigned tirelessly for its inclusion in the 1936 event. 16 years later, Allen got his chance to coach at the Olympics, leading a squad that mostly dominated the competition but featured only one truly impressive player. That was Clyde Lovellette, who had just finished his collegiate career at Kansas under Allen, with a senior season that included a national title, a scoring title, a tournament MVP award, and a Player of the Year award. He kept that momentum going in Helsinki, averaging a team-high 13.7 points per game while leading the U.S. to an undefeated run to the gold medal. The roster was mostly filled out with Lovellette’s Kansas teammates though one notable omission was future Team U.S.A. coach Dean Smith. They won all eight games they played in the tournament en route to the gold medal, with only Brazil managing to keep the final score within single digits. Lovellette is the only member of the team to eventually reach the NBA, though many of the non-Kansas players were stars of the rival AAU, most notably the seven-footer Bob Kurland, who was eventually inducted in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

16) 2004 (Athens)

Notable players: Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, LeBron James, Lamar Odom, Dwyane Wade
Coach: Larry Brown

On paper, this was arguably one of the three or four most talented teams in U.S. history. But the results speak for themselves. Before 2004, U.S. basketball had just two total defeats in Olympic competition. This team managed to lose three times in one tournament, including a 19-point loss to Puerto Rico during the preliminary round that was easily the biggest in U.S. history. So what went wrong? For starters, many of the NBA’s top players declined to participate. Shaquille O’Neal and reigning MVP Kevin Garnett already had gold medals in their possession and opted to use the summer to rest, while Kobe Bryant was mired in his sexual assault trial and Tracy McGrady cited security concerns. Meanwhile, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade were obvious talents but were just coming off their rookie years and lacked experience. The team was also missing outside shooting and a pure point guard, with Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury having attack-the-basket mentalities. Throw in the seemingly disengaged Larry Brown at coach and an increasingly talented international field and you had this disaster that ended with a semifinal loss to Argentina, leaving the team settling for a bronze medal.

15) 1988 (Seoul)

Notable players: David Robinson, Danny Manning, Mitch Richmond, Dan Majerle, Hersey Hawkins, Stacey Augmon
Coach: John Thompson

This squad has an overblown rep of failing so spectacularly that the Dream Team became a forgone conclusion. But fail, they did. The problems started during the roster selection process, with coach John Thompson making secretive and controversial choices. When he left Arizona’s Stacey Augmon off the squad, Thompson was accussed of being either biased against teams from the West or just too lazy to scout them. The team was obviously still stacked, anchored by David Robinson, Mitch Richmond, and Danny Manning, and rolled into the semifinals where the Soviets awaited. It was the first Olympic meeting between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. since the controversy of 1972, and this time the Russians didn’t need help from the officials. Huge performances from Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis powered the Soviets to an 82-76 upset. The Americans had to settle for defeating Australia for the bronze medal. As opposed to popular belief, the Russians, who went on to defeat Yugoslavia for the gold medal, were not made up entirely of amateur players, as their best competitors like Sabonis would be given high-ranking government positions to essentially play for the national team for money.

14) 1972 (Munich)

Notable players: Tom Henderson, Doug Collins, Bobby Jones, Jim Brewer, Dwight Jones, Mike Bantom
Coach: Hank Iba

If they hadn’t been cheated out of the gold medal by illicit officiating, this team would rank much higher. But fair is fair in terms of our rankings, so the silver medal finish needs to be taken into consideration. Their loss to the Soviet Union in the gold medal finals was the first in Olympics history for the United States, breaking a streak of 63 consecutive wins that started in 1936. There were concerns about the roster even before the Olympics began. It was the youngest squad in U.S. Olympic and lacked star power, with Bill Walton, Julius Erving, and Bob McAdoo amongst the top players who declined invitations. There was also trepidation about head coach Henry Iba and how authoritarian style would impact the younger players. Regardless, the U.S. utilized a balanced scoring attack to easily win their first eight games heading into the gold medal match. That controversial Soviet victory included a phantom timeout, an illegal substitution, and a clock malfunction, all in the final three seconds. The Americans made several appeals to the IOC and other governing bodies that were ultimately denied, and to this day have not accepted their silver medals.

13) 1948 (London)

Notable players: Alex Groza, Ralph Beard, Don Barksdale, Bob Kurland, Vince Boryla, Ray Lumpp
Coach: Omar Browning

World War II caused a 12-year gap between the first Olympics basketball tournament and the second, and the sport had grown exponentially in that span. College basketball’s popularity spiked with the introduction of the NCAA Tournament, while the BAA and NBL were finding success as pro leagues and would soon merge to form the NBA. This created a glut of potential talent, so the U.S. Olympic Committee staged a tournament of the top college and AAU teams. When the AAU squad Phillips 66ers defeated the Kentucky Wildcats in the final game, the USOC opted to select five players from each team, then filled the remaining spots with talent amongst the other runners-up. This notably included Don Barksdale, who became the first African-American player in Olympic basketball history. While basketball was on the rise in America, most countries had actually regressed in the sport since 1936, due largely to the war. The tournament was a cakewalk for the U.S., winning their eight games by an average of 37 points. Coach Omar Browning switched starting lineups between his five Phillips players and five Kentucky players game-to-game, with the 66ers getting the honors of starting in the gold medal match against France, a 65-21 romp.

12) 1976 (Montreal)

Notable players: Adrian Dantley, Scott May, Phil Ford, Walter Davis, Mitch Kupchak, Quinn Buckner
Coach: Dean Smith

They exacted some level of revenge for the 1972 team by returning the U.S. to gold medal status, but things weren’t exactly easy for the Americans in 1976. They were nearly upset in the group stage by Puerto Rico, led by Marquette’s Butch Lee, who had been shunned from the U.S. roster. The Americans also trailed at halftime to Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, with the latter keeping the final score within five points. The medal round was a much easier affair, though it lacked the catharsis of direct redemption against the Soviets. The United States defeated the host Canadians 95-77 in the semifinals, then cruised past Yugoslavia 95-74 in the gold medal game, led by 30 points from Adrian Dantley. The Yugoslavians had upset the U.S.S.R. in the semifinals, denying the Americans a rematch of their 1972 loss. In fact, due to boycotts, the U.S. and Soviets would not play again until the 1988 Olympics, another U.S.S.R. upset victory. Dantley, who had just finished his junior year at Notre Dame and would soon declare early for the NBA Draft, was the team’s leading scorer, followed by Indiana’s Scott May, who also led the team in rebounding. The assists leader was Phil Ford, who was one of four North Carolina players on the roster selected by Dean Smith.

11) 1968 (Mexico City)

Notable players: Spencer Haywood, Jo Jo White, Charlie Scott, Mike Silliman, Cal Fowler, Bill Hosket
Coach: Hank Iba

Heading into the Mexico City games, this U.S. roster was making all the wrong headlines. Numerous star players declined an invitation, including Elvin Hayes, Pete Maravich, Wes Unseld, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who boycotted in protest of the Vietnam War and the treatment of Black Americans. What the U.S. was left with was still a solid roster, but they were soundly defeated by the Soviets in a series of exhibition games leading up to the Olympics, sewing doubts about their chances. The Americans did manage to bring home a seventh consecutive gold medal, though not without a little bit of luck. Their Soviet rivals were stunned by Yugoslavia in the semifinals, denying a much anticipated U.S.-U.S.S.R. showdown. Instead, the United States soundly defeated Yugoslavia 65-50 in the gold medal game to cap an undefeated run through the tournament. On a roster that lacked star power, Spencer Haywood emerged as an unlikely team leader. The 19-year-old became the youngest Olympian in U.S. basketball history and led the team with 16.1 points per game. This would notably also be the last U.S. team to feature players drawn from the AAU and military ranks, with selections shifting to exclusively college players in 1972.

10) 1964 (Tokyo)

Notable players: Bill Bradley, Walt Hazzard, Jerry Shipp, Lucious Jackson, Joe Caldwell, Mel Counts
Coach: Hank Iba

On a team featuring future NBA stars Bill Bradley, Lucious Jackson, Walt Hazzard, and Joe Caldwell, it was AAU legend Jerry Shipp, who led the U.S. in scoring with 12.4 points per game. A star at Division II SE Oklahoma State, Shipp was drafted by the Knicks in 1959 but never played a pro game in his career. Instead, he joined the Phillips 66ers to retain his amateur status and represent the United States in international competition. Shipp was the star of the 1963 Pan American Games team that won gold and the 1963 FIBA World Cup team that finished in fourth. He was one of the first players selected for the 1964 Olympics roster, which also included fellow AAU star Larry Brown in addition to the top NCAA talent. Several of them, such as Hazzard and Caldwell, had to put their NBA rookie seasons on hold due to the Olympics taking place in October to avoid Tokyo’s summer heat and September typhoon season. It would take a lot more than that to slow down this team, which won all nine of its games, eight of them by double digits and six by at least 20 points. There was a lot of hype coming into the tournament about the ballyhooed Soviet team, but the Americans cruised past them in the gold medal game, 73-59, led by 17 points from Jackson.

---

By the numbers: U.S. Olympic men’s basketball teams

Overall record: 136-6 (16-1 in gold medal games; 2-0 in bronze medal games; 19-2 in semifinals; 17-0 in quarterfinals; 88-3 in preliminary group play)
Medal results: 18 golds, 1 silver, 2 bronzes
Longest win streak: 63 games (1936-1976)
Biggest margins of victory: +83 (156-73 vs Nigeria in 2012); +72 (101-29 vs Thailand in 1956); +68 (116-48 vs Angola in 1992)
Biggest margins of loss: -19 (92-73 vs Puerto Rico in 2004); -8 (89-81 vs Argentina in 2004); -7 (83-76 vs France in 2020)
Biggest margin of victory in gold medal game: +44 (65-21 vs France in 1948)
Most appearances: Carmelo Anthony (4); LeBron James (3); David Robinson (3); Kevin Durant (3)
Most gold medals: Anthony (3); Durant (3)
Most career points: Durant (435); Anthony (336); James (273); Robinson (260); Michael Jordan (256)
Most career points (pre-NBA): Spencer Haywood (145); Oscar Robertson (136); Jerry Lucas (134); Bob Kurland (134); Adrian Dantley (116)
Most career rebounds*: Robinson (125); Anthony (125); Durant (118); James (95); Patrick Ewing (87)
Most career assists*: James (88); Durant (88); Chris Paul (74); Scottie Pippen (73); Leon Wood (63)

---

9) 2000 (Sydney)

Notable players: Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Alonzo Mourning, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd, Allan Houston
Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich

It was a hard lesson that wouldn’t be fully learned until the next Olympics, but this is where it became readily apparent that other countries could challenge the U.S. in basketball. The 2000 roster was an odd mix of veterans who weren’t quite good enough to make the 1996 team (Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning, Steve Smith, Allan Houston) and youngsters who were just starting to make their mark on the NBA (Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, Ray Allen). Three notable missing names were Tim Duncan, who has rehabbing a knee injury, Kobe Bryant, who turned down the invitation due to his honeymoon, and Shaquille O’Neal, who claimed that winning one gold medal in 1996 was enough. The U.S. team won its first five games easily (a run that included Carter’s infamous “dunk de la mort” over France’s Frederic Weis) but had to survive a scare in the semifinals against Lithuania. Sarunas Jasikevicius had a chance to win it at the buzzer for Lithuania but was just off the mark and the United States prevailed 85-83. A rematch with France in the gold medal game was slightly easier but still no cakewalk, with a late rally giving the U.S. an 85-75 victory. A successful result on merit, yes, but also a warning of difficulties to come.

8) 1984 (Los Angeles)

Notable players: Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Steve Alford, Sam Perkins, Wayman Tisdale
Coach: Bobby Knight

A.k.a. the last U.S. amateur team to win gold, which holds a special place in many fans’ hearts. Three members of this team, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, and Michael Jordan, would eventually play for the Dream Team in 1992, while Charles Barkley (who reportedly clashed with coach Bobby Knight, go figure) and John Stockton were amongst the final cuts. In other words, the talent was stacked in 1984, as the NBA was in the midst of arguably its all-time greatest run of draft talent. Befitting anything involving Knight, the trials were controversial, not just for the cuts but for some stars, like Len Bias, declining to participate in a potential rebuke to Knight, while Indiana’s Steve Alford was a shocking addition to the roster. Also featuring solid future NBA players in Alvin Robertson, Vern Fleming, Wayman Tisdale, and Sam Perkins, the U.S. still dominated the Olympics, thanks in no small part to the boycott of the Soviet bloc nations. Jordan led the way with 17.1 points per game, establishing himself as an international star just as the NBA was starting to make inroads with non-American audiences. No one came within single digits of the U.S. in their eight wins, with West Germany putting up the biggest fight in a 78-67 result.

7) 2016 (Rio)

Notable players: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski

Paul George’s inclusion on this roster was a feel good story, a triumphant return to international basketball after breaking his leg preparing for the 2014 FIBA World Cup. It was also a looming cautionary tale, with the threat of major injuries combined with the ongoing Zika virus outbreak causing most star players to pass on these Olympics. 2012 participants LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Anthony Davis, and Chris Paul all turned down offers to rejoin, while Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard were amongst those who opted not to make their Olympic debut. Luckily, the roster had two 2012 returnees who made all the difference. Carmelo Anthony cemented himself as a FIBA legend with his third gold medal while Kevin Durant was the undisputed tournament MVP, averaging 19.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. There were some challenges from the most talented international pool to date, including group stage scares from Patty Mills and Australia, Nikola Jokic and Serbia, and Rudy Gobert and France, then a semifinals battle with the Gasol brothers and Spain. The gold medal game was a different story, with Durant scoring 30 points as the U.S. cruised to a 96-66 victory over Serbia.

6) 1956 (Melbourne)

Notable players: Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Ron Tomsic, Bob Jeangerard, Chuck Darling, Jim Walsh
Coach: Gerry Tucker

Due to Melbourne being the first Olympics host site in the Southern hemisphere, these games took place in late November through early December. This schedule overlap with the ’56-’57 NCAA and NBA seasons caused most of the biggest college stars and impending NBA rookies to withdraw their names from consideration. But there was only one player in the 1956 NBA Draft class who truly mattered anyway. That man was Bill Russell, who had just delivered back-to-back NCAA titles to San Francisco, and slightly delayed his NBA career with the Celtics team that he would soon lead to 11 championships. In between, Russell made time for Olympic glory, leading the Americans to wins in all eight of their games by an average of 53.5 points. Joining Russell on the team as its second best player was his former college partner and future Celtics teammate K.C. Jones, who was delaying his NBA career anyway due to military service. The remainder of the roster was packed with AAU and military service players, none of whom made any impact later at the pro level. After earning a gold medal, Russell took a brief break for his wedding and honeymoon, then joined the Celtics for his rookie debut on December 22.

5) 2012 (London)

Notable players: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Love, Chris Paul
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski

Just like Dream Team III in 1996, the encore for the “Redeem Team” in 2012 had a thankless job of maintaining dominance. On paper, this was actually a better team than the 2008 edition. There were five past, future, or reigning league MVPs on the roster in LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden (only the 1992 “Dream Team” had more, with six). The squad was filled out with superstars Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Love, and impending rookie Anthony Davis, who was an injury replacement for Blake Griffin. There were some concerns raised following struggles in exhibition games and the lack of size, but the Olympics were a different story. The United States won all eight of their games, with a 32.1 point average margin of victory. The only tough battles came from Lithuania in the group stage, wherein the U.S. rallied for a 99-94 win, and from Spain in the gold medal game. In a heavily hyped rematch from 2008, Durant led the way with 30 points and James added 19 as the U.S. held off the Spaniards 107-100 to claim gold. James became the second player ever to win NBA league MVP, NBA Finals MVP, and an Olympic gold medal in the same year, alongside Michael Jordan in 1992.

4) 1960 (Rome)

Notable players: Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Jerry Lucas, Walt Bellamy, Terry Dischinger, Adrian Smith
Coach: Pete Newell

As good as this team was, it could have been even better. It was a tradition up until 1972 for the U.S. team to feature a collection of NCAA, AAU, and military players. This meant that several of 1960’s biggest collegiate stars, including Ohio State’s John Havlicek and Providence’s Lenny Wilkens, were left off the roster. Not that they were needed. Led by Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Jerry Lucas, Walt Bellamy, and Adrian Smith (who was, by far, the greatest military service member rep in team USA history), the American team won their games by an average margin of 42.4 points in a dominant performance. Robertson was the leading scorer with 17.0 points per game, while Lucas dominated the medal round, scoring 27 points in a semifinal win over Italy and a game high 23 in the gold medal final against Brazil. Also featuring future NBA All-Stars Bob Boozer and Darrall Imhoff, and ’62-’63 Rookie of the Year Terry Dischinger, this was almost undoubtedly the greatest amateur team ever assembled. In 2010, they were collectively inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, where individual members West, Robertson, Bellamy, Lucas, and coach Pete Newell already had plaques residing.

3) 1996 (Atlanta)

Notable players: Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, Gary Payton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Karl Malone
Coach: Lenny Wilkens

How do you follow up the greatest basketball team in Olympic history? Well, for starters, you try to bring back as many of those players as possible. The 1996 team landed five “Dream Team” alums in Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Scottie Pippen, and David Robinson. Teaming up with Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon (who had to receive a special FIBA exemption to play for the U.S.), and Gary Payton, they were dubbed “Dream Team III” (the 1994 FIBA World Cup roster was “Dream Team II”). With the games taking place in Atlanta, it was the first time that NBA players got to participate in an Olympics in an NBA arena, though no member of the team played for the Hawks (in fact, no active member of the Hawks has been named to an Olympic team in the pro era). They lacked some of the wattage star power of the original “Dream Team” and certainly didn’t inspire the same awe, but “Dream Team III” played about as effectively, winning all of their games by 20 or more points, including a 95-69 drubbing of Yugoslavia in the gold medal game. Despite the results, coach Lenny Wilkens predicted after the tournament that the rest of the world would soon catch up to the United States, which would prove prophetic soon enough.

2) 2008 (Beijing)

Notable players: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul
Coach: Mike Krzyzewski

Following the 2004 embarrassment, U.S.A. basketball underwent a retransformation from the top down. Legendary NBA executive Jerry Colangelo took over as director and Mike Kryzyzewski as coach. Rising stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony all committed early on to the 2008 squad, as did Kobe Bryant, who was unable to participate in 2004 due to his sexual assault trial. In a lesson learned from earlier failures, Colangelo didn’t just build an All-Star roster. He also added an aging Jason Kidd as a steady, veteran presence, Michael Redd for long range shooting, Tayshaun Prince for shutdown defense, and Carlos Boozer for rebounding. Dubbed the “Redeem Team” and playing in China, which had quickly grown into a basketball-crazed nation, the pressure was. This team proved up to the task and then some, winning their first seven games by an average margin of 30.2 points before finally facing a stiff competition from Spain in the gold medal game. Wade was the leading scorer but Bryant was the unquestioned leader, taking over down the stretch against Spain to secure the win. This team faced arguably the highest pressure since the Dream Team and succeeded in re-establishing America’s basketball dominance.

1) 1992 (Barcelona)

Notable players: Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen
Coach: Chuck Daly

Not only the Olympic team by which all others will be forever measured, but the basketball team, period. We’ll grant up front that two of the biggest names, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, were well past anything resembling their prime. But this team still featured four of the 12 greatest players of all time, according to our list, and nine of the 32 greatest. It had six NBA MVPs (with a combined 14 trophies between them), which is the Olympic team record, plus the all-time assists leader (John Stockton), two players with 10+ All-Star appearances (Patrick Ewing and Clyde Drexler), and a player generally regarded as the greatest perimeter defender of all time (Scottie Pippen). It’s no surprise that the Dream Team completely changed the sport, especially internationally, where a generation of young fans across the globe got their first taste of watching top flight competitive basketball. This U.S. team won all eight of their Olympic games by 30 points or more and that stat makes the games seem even closer than they really were. The talent level internationally obviously wasn’t at the same level in 1992 that it was in 2004 or later, but the American dominance still can’t be overstated. They were collectively elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2010, and 11 of the 12 players (all except Christian Laettner) have been individually inducted, as have three of the four coaches, led by head coach Chuck Daly.