USA Senior National Team (Men)
From Hoopedia
The United States Senior National Team (Men) is the representative for the United States of America in international senior men's basketball competitions. Team USA is historically the most successful team in international competition, medaling in all fifteen Olympic tournaments it has entered, coming away with twelve golds. The teams is selected by USA Basketball; for details on how the team is chosen, see selection section.
Traditionally composed of amateur players, a 1989 rule change by FIBA allowed USA Basketball to field teams with professional players. The original "Dream Team" won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. That team is often regarded as the greatest collection of talent on one team in basketball history.
With the introduction of professionals, Team USA was able to spark a second run of dominance after capturing only a bronze medal in 1988. A second "Dream Team" competed in the 1994 Basketball World Championships, finishing first. In 1996 and 2000, Team USA once again captured gold medals.
However, Team USA's renewed success has came to an end in recent years. Facing increased competition from international teams, helped in no small way by the expansion of basketball sparked by the 1992 Dream Team, the USA failed to medal at the 2002 FIBA World Championship, finishing sixth. The 2004 Summer Olympic team lost three games on its way to a bronze medal, a record that represented more losses in a single year than the country's Olympic teams had suffered in all previous Olympiads combined.
Determined to put an end to these recent failures, USA Basketball has changed its philosophy and has looked to field complete teams instead of piecing together rosters of NBA All-Stars at the last minute. Team USA won their first seven games at the 2006 World Championships in Japan, struggling against Greece in the semi-finals. After coming away with a bronze, Team USA is still striving to recapture international gold.
1936-1968 Early Dominance
As the birthplace of basketball and the nation that oversaw most of its early development, the United States possessed a clear advantage in the early decades of international play. The US men were dominant from the first Olympic tournament held in Berlin in 1936, going 5-0 to win the gold, and joined by continental neighbors Canada and Mexico on the medal platform. Through the next six tournaments, the United States went undefeated, collecting gold while not losing a single contest in the games held in London, Helsinki, Melbourne, Rome, Tokyo, and Mexico City. Participation in these tournaments were limited to amateurs, but the US teams during this period featured players who would later go on to become superstars in professional basketball, including all-time greats Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Jerry Lucas, the latter three competed on the 1960 Rome team often credited as the best U.S. roster until the formation of the 1992 Dream Team.
1972 Controversy at Munich Olympics
The United States rode their seven consecutive gold medals and 63-0 Olympic record to Munich for the 1972 Summer Olympics. The team won its first eight games in convincing fashion, setting up a final against the Soviet Union.
Without question, the 1972 Olympic men's basketball gold medal game is the most controversial in Olympic history, and it marked the first ever loss for Team USA in Olympic play. With three seconds left, American forward Doug Collins sank two free throws to put the Americans up 50-49. However, the horn sounded before Collins' second free throw.
Immediately following Collins' free throws, the Soviets inbounded the ball and failed to score. But one official had whistled play to stop with one second remaining after hearing the earlier horn and seeing a disturbance near the scorers table. The Soviets argued that they had requested a timeout before Collins' foul shots. The referees ordered the clock reset to three seconds and the game's final seconds replayed. However, the clock was in the process of being reset when the referees put the ball in play. A length of the court Soviet pass missed its mark, the horn sounded and the U.S. again began celebrating.
However, R. William Jones, Secretary General of FIBA, stepped in and ordered the clock again reset to 0:03 and the game replayed from that point. This time, the Soviet's Alexander Belov and the USA's Kevin Joyce and Jim Forbes went up for the pass, and Belov caught the long pass from Ivan Edeshko at the foul line, sending the two Americans sprawling. Belov then drove to the basket for the layup and the winning points as the buzzer sounded. The U.S. team quickly filed a protest after the game, which was heard by a five-man Jury of Appeal. In a 3-2 decision (divided along ideological lines between Communist and non-Communist countries), the Jury voted down the protest and awarded the gold medals to the Soviet team. The U.S. players voted unanimously to refuse their silver medals; several team members have directed in their wills that their heirs are never to accept the medals, even posthumously.
1976-1980 Bounce Back and Boycott
After the controversial loss in Munich, 1976 saw Dean Smith coach Team USA to a 7-0 record and its eighth Olympic gold medal in Montreal. The success at this tournament pushed Team USA's all-time Olympic record to an impressive 78-1.
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan prompted several countries, including the United States, to boycott the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
The 1980 U.S. team, which featured a number of future NBA players, was the youngest American national team ever assembled. Unable to compete in the Olympics due to the boycott, it instead participated in the "Gold Medal Series," a series of games against NBA all-star teams in various U.S. cities, recording a 5-1 record.
1984 Olympics (Los Angeles)
In response to the American-led boycott of the 1980 games, most Communist countries (including the Soviet Union) boycotted the 1984 Games, held in Los Angeles.
Michael Jordan made his Olympic debut, eight years before his appearance on the original Dream Team. Jordan led the team with 17.1 points per game, and Bobby Knight coached the team to an 8-0 record and another Olympic gold.
1988 Olympics (Seoul)
A roster that included a host of future NBA all-stars including David Robinson and Mitch Richmond came up short, finishing third and winning the bronze medal. Team USA lost its only game to the Soviets 82-76 in first Olympic meeting between these countries since the controversial 1972 gold medal game. The Americans went on to beat Australia 78-49 in the bronze medal game. "Thunder" Dan Majerle led Team USA in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game.
1992 The Dream Team
In 1989, FIBA, international basketball's governing body allowed professional players to participate in the Olympics for the first time.
The team assembled by USA Basketball for the tournament in Barcelona in 1992, was arguably the most illustrious collection of talent fielded on an actual competitive team in the history of sports. Of the 12 players on the team, 10 would be named in 1996 to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team, the NBA's official list of the 50 greatest players of the league's first 50 years. Because of this star line-up, the team's games usually featured opposing teams asking for pregame photos with their U.S. opponents — and idols. (For more details, read the Dream Team article.)
Team USA cruised through its qualifying round with a 6-0 record. The team then took on Angola in the opening game of the Olympic competition. Barkley had 24 points in a team USA 116-48 romp. Next, the Dream Team took on a talented Croatia team and beat them soundly by 33 points, led by Jordan's 21. The United States team then defeated Germany behind Larry Bird's 19 points and Karl Malone's 18. In the next game, seven USA players scored in double digits and Barkley set the new single game Team USA scoring record with 30 points in a 127-83 rout of Brazil. Team USA then closed out pool play with a resounding 122-81 drumming of Spain.
In the quarter-finals, Mullin scored a team high 21 points as the Dream Team scored a 115-77 victory over Puerto Rico. Team USA rolled on in the semis with a 51 point win over Lithuania. Nine US players scored in double figures. Jordan led the way in the gold medal game against Croatia, scoring 22 points. Patrick Ewing had 15. Barkley had 17. The final game was the closest of the entire Olympics, with the Dream Team winning by 32 points in a 117-85 blowout to take the gold. The average win margin by which the United States won throughout the Olympic tournament was 43.8 points a game.
1994 World Championship Team, or Dream Team II
The second Dream Team competed in the 1994 World Championship, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This was an entirely new roster, as USA Basketball elected to showcase stars who were not present at the 1992 Olympics. Composed primarily of younger NBA players, the team lacked the widespread appeal of its predecessor but nevertheless continued its dominance. The 1994 roster included Isiah Thomas recently retired from the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal, Reggie Miller, Dominique Wilkins, Joe Dumars, Alonzo Mourning, Mark Price, Shawn Kemp, Dan Majerle, Derrick Coleman, Larry Johnson and Kevin Johnson. Coached by Don Nelson of the Golden State Warriors, this team easily captured the gold medal in tournament play.
1996 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team
The third team composed of NBA players participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The star quality of team was impressive as it featured five members of the original Dream Team (Barkley, Malone, Pippen, Robinson, and Stockton), plus two other members of the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team in Hakeem Olajuwon and O'Neal. The rest of the squad consisted of Reggie Miller, Mitch Richmond, Anfernee Hardaway, Grant Hill and Gary Payton. The Americans rolled to another gold medal with an average win margin of 32.3 points a game.
The '96 USA team cruised through the 1996 Olympics, defeating every other team by margins greater than 20 points. They captured the gold medal after defeating Yugoslavia 95–69. Lenny Wilkens coached this team, which definitively lived up to the expectations of the thousands of fans
1998 World Championship Team
The American team that competed in the 1998 World Championship in Athens, Greece is not considered a Dream Team, as none of its players were current members of NBA teams. Instead, the team was nicknamed the "dirty dozen" because of the way they worked hard on the court and maximized their ability for the good of the team. Because of a labor dispute that led to a lockout, no active or well-established NBA players were permitted to compete in the tournament. Brad Miller is the lone example of a member of the team who would go on to have a solid NBA career. This unheralded team, composed largely of players from American Colleges and the minor-league Continental Basketball Association or European pro leagues, captured a bronze medal—considered a solid achievement given the team's complete lack of top-notch talent.
2000 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team
During the late 1990s, international basketball began to gather attention as more and more foreign players became stars in the NBA. Therefore, the 2000 U.S. team had the enormous task of proving that American basketball was the best in the world. The new team that was assembled again featured NBA players, but this time few of them were considered to be true superstars, as several elite players elected not to participate.
The 2000 U.S. team participated in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia and was coached by Rudy Tomjanovich. It won its first two games by lopsided margins, but faced more difficult competition thereafter. A preliminary game against Lithuania, won 85–76, marked the first time a Dream Team failed to win by double digits. Two games later, in a 106-94 victory over France, Vince Carter of Team USA executed what some call "the greatest dunk of all-time", and the French media called "le dunk de la mort" ("the Dunk of Death"), literally jumping over 7'2" (2.18 m) France center Frédéric Weis on his way to the basket (right).
A major shock came on the semifinals game when the United States managed to defeat Lithuania by only two points, 85–83, after Lithuanian star (and future NBA player, first with the Indiana Pacers and now with the Golden State Warriors) Sarunas Jasikevicius missed a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer that would have won the game. The USA eventually won the gold medal against France in a very close game, which the Americans won 85–75. Though the US went undefeated on its way to the gold medal, for the first time the team began to lose its aura of invincibility.
2002 USA Men's World Championship Team
The 2002 team competed in the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana. Coached by George Karl, the team finished a surprising sixth in the competition. To a greater degree than in 2000, a number of top NBA players declined to participate, forcing USA Basketball to resort to picking mostly second-tier players. The group has been considered as one of sport's greatest flops, as they failed to produce as previous teams had.
2004 U.S. Men's Basketball Team
The humiliating outcome of 2002 prompted a number of NBA superstars to agree to join the team for the 2003 Tournament of the Americas, which the squad was required to participate in to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The team easily cruised to a first-place finish, earning it a spot in Athens, Greece the following summer.
However, the dominant team that competed in 2003 could not be kept together. For different reasons, 10 of its 12 players elected not to participate in Athens, causing USA Basketball to scramble to fill their places. The revamped 2004 team generally consisted of either young NBA players early in their careers, or veteran players thought to be somewhat beneath superstar status.
After struggles in several exhibition matches, the vulnerability of the 2004 team was confirmed when Puerto Rico defeated them 92–73 in the very first game of the Olympic tournament in Athens. It was only the third Olympic basketball defeat ever for Team USA and the first for an American team composed of professionals. The 19 point defeat was the most lopsided loss for Team USA in the history of international competition, suggesting that the level of international basketball had caught up with that of the United States.
After winning close games against Greece and Australia, Team USA fell to Lithuania, dropping to 2–2 in the Olympic tournament. Even after a 89–53 win over Angola, the Americans entered the knockout rounds in fourth place due to goal average, the lowest seed of their group. The Americans faced undefeated Spain in their quarterfinal game and finally put up a dominant performance, beating the Spaniards 102–94.
However, the semi-final match saw Team USA defeated by Argentina, 89–81 ending the United States' hold on the gold medal. It marked only the third time that an American team failed to win gold, and the first time for an American team composed of professionals. Before 2004, American teams had only lost two games in all previous Olympic tournaments, whereas in this one the American team lost three.
2006-2008 U.S. Men's Basketball Team
Following the disappointments in 2002 and 2004, USA Basketball looked to move in a different direction. It appointed Jerry Colangelo to be solely responsible for selecting the team. Colangelo made it clear that he would ask players for a three-year commitment—the 2006 Worlds and the 2008 Summer Olympics. The head coach chosen for the team was Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski, with assistants Jim Boeheim of Syracuse University, Mike D'Antoni of the Phoenix Suns, and Nate McMillan of the Portland Trail Blazers. While some prominent players, such as Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, stated that they do not plan to play for the team, superstars Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Shawn Marion publicly announced their commitment for the 2006 Worlds and 2008 Olympics. Allen Iverson, despite being the captain for the 2004 Olympic team, was not invited to train with the team. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony were named co-captains of the 2006 FIBA World Championship Team.
They easily went through the group stage and went to the semi-finals, winning their games by an average of 25 points. However, against defending European Championship winner Greece, the US suffered a 101-95 defeat, putting in a dismal defensive effort (the Greeks scored 101 points and shot .625 for the game) and resulting in the third consecutive failure of an US team to reach a final in international basketball. The team rallied for a win over defending Olympic champion Argentina (who had previously earned a win over the U.S in both the 2002 Worlds and the 2004 Olympics) to take home the bronze medal.
On May 23, 2007 it was reported that seven USA players would not be able to compete in the FIBA Americas Championship during the summer of 2007 because of injuries. Those seven players are Gilbert Arenas, Joe Johnson, Brad Miller, Lamar Odom, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce and Dwyane Wade.
In response, USA Basketball announced eight new players would be added to the USA Men's National Basketball Team. Those eight players are Carlos Boozer, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Durant, Jason Kidd, Mike Miller, Greg Oden, Tayshaun Prince and Deron Williams.
U.S. Men's Olympic Team Selection Process
Through the years, the group responsible for the selection of the U.S. Olympic basketball teams has changed, as has the process for selecting the teams.
Although the AAU established a Basketball Committee, beginning with the 1936 Olympics, the first Olympic Games to feature men's basketball as an official medal sport, the selection of the USA Olympic teams and coaching staffs was handled by the U.S. Olympic Basketball Games Committee (originally known as the American Olympic Committee Basketball Committee).
The 1936 Olympic Basketball Games Committee originally consisted of six representatives of the AAU, four representatives from the NCAA, and three other representatives, two of which were appointed by the American Olympic Committee.
The 1948 Olympic team was still selected by the 13-member U.S. Olympic Basketball Games Committee, however, eight teams participated in the Olympic Trials -- three AAU teams, two NCAA teams, and one team from the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) and YMCA.
Selection for the '52 Olympic basketball team was handled by a 14-member Olympic Basketball Games Committee. The Olympic Trials again featured eight teams in a playoff -- the NCAA Tournament winner and runner-up, the National Invitational Tournament winner, the NAIB Tournament winner and the top four finishers from the AAU National Tournament (Junior College, U.S. Armed Forces, Industrial League and YMCA teams were eligible to compete in the AAU championship).
By the 1956 Olympics, the Basketball Games Committee had been restructured so the AAU and NCAA each had six representatives and the U.S. Armed Forces four. And for the first time the Olympic Trials consisted of four teams -- the AAU Tournament champion and runner-up, a college all-star squad and an Armed Forces all-star team.
In 1960, the Games Committee selected from eight teams -- three AAU squads, the NCAA champion, a NCAA university all-star team, a NCAA college all-star team, an Armed Forces all-star team, and a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) all-star team.
The 1964 U.S. Olympic Basketball Games Committee consisted of eight AAU representatives, eight NCAA representatives and four U.S. Armed Forces representatives. This committee selected the 1964 Olympic team from a trials which consisted of three NCAA all-star teams, two AAU all-star squads, and one NAIA all-star team.
By 1968, the Olympic Trials consisted of three NCAA all-star teams, one NCAA college all-star team, and separate all-star squads representing the AAU, NJCAA, NAIA, and U.S. Armed Forces.
In 1972, the Olympic Trials were still controlled by the Olympic Basketball Games Committee, however, the Trials format was changed and 66 athletes were invited to tryout, 28 from the NCAA, eight from the AAU, junior college, NAIA and U.S. Armed Forces ranks, and six at-large.
In 1976, the Olympic Basketball Games Committee established a 12-man selection committee and 56 players, primarily from the NCAA, competed in the Trials.
In 1980, for the first time, the USA Men's Olympic Team was selected by the ABAUSA Men's Games Committee following Trials at the University of Kentucky. The 22-member Committee was chaired by then Big Eight Conference commissioner Charles Neinas.
The 1984 Olympic Trials, held April 17-22 at Indiana University, consisted of 72 college players. Brice Durbin was chair of the ABAUSA Player Selection Committee Games Committee, while David Gavitt (NCAA) was chair of the Player Selection Committee which included four NCAA representatives, two at-large representatives, and one representative from the NFSHSA.
In 1988, 92 college players attended the May 18-24 Trials in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Big East Conference Commissioner David Gavitt was chair of the Games Committee for Men, while the ABAUSA Player Selection Subcommittee was chaired by C.M. Newton (At-Large) and included three representatives from the NCAA, one from the NAIA and one at-large representative.
In 1992, for the first time no actual Olympic Trials were held for the men. Instead, because NBA players were now eligible to play, USA Basketball's 12-member Men's Olympic Team Subset Committee, chaired by C.M. Newton, reviewed player performances from the 1990-91 and 1991-92 basketball seasons. The '92 committee consisted of five NBA representatives, four NCAA reps and two at-large reps.
Selection for the 1996 men's Olympic team was similar to 1992, with the players' performances in the preceding seasons used as the trials process. The men's squad was selected by USA Basketball's 11-member Senior National Team Committee, which was chaired by Rod Thorn of the NBA and also consisted of seven NBA representatives, two athlete reps and one NCAA representative.
The 2000 men's team was again comprised of NBA players and selected by USA Basketball's 11-member Senior National Team Committee, chaired by Thorn. However, because the United States had to finish in one of the top two spots at the 1999 Tournament of Americas in order to qualify for the Olympic Games, player performances from the 1998-99 season were reviewed by the Committee for selection to the 1999 and, subsequently, the 2000 teams. The first nine NBA players named to the 1999 Tournament of Americas squad, which was rounded out with three recent collegiate graduates, were then selected to the 2000 team. Due to injuries, only seven of those nine competed in Sydney, while the remaining five selections were made based on the 1999-2000 NBA season.
The selection of the 2004 U.S. Men's Olympic teams was again similar to 1992, 1996 and 2000, with the players' performances in the preceding NBA season used as the trials process. The Senior National Team Committee that chose the 2004 U.S. Team was chaired by Stu Jackson of the NBA and consisted of nine voting members, seven appointed by the NBA and two athlete representatives. As they did in 1999, the United States had to qualify for the 2004 Olympics by finishing in one of the top three spots at the 2003 Tournament of Americas. Player performances from the 2002-03 NBA season were reviewed by the Committee for players were selected to the 2003 and, subsequently, the 2004 teams. The first nine NBA players named to the 2003 USA Olympic Qualifying Team core group were also promised a roster position if the USA qualified for the 2004 Olympics. The 2003 Olympic Qualifying Team won gold and qualified the U.S. for the 2004 Summer Games, however, because of injuries and other issues, just two of the original nine selected core group players competed in Athens. The 10 player selections made to complete the roster were made in the Spring of 2004 and were based on player performances during the 2003-04 NBA season.
Team USA Coaches
Olympics
| Coach | Event | Won | Lost | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Needle | 1936 Berlin | 5 | 0 | Gold |
| Omar Browning | 1948 London | 8 | 0 | Gold |
| Warren Womble | 1952 Helsinki | 8 | 0 | Gold |
| Gerald Tucker | 1956 Melbourne | 8 | 0 | Gold |
| Pete Newell | 1960 Rome | 8 | 0 | Gold |
| Henry Iba | 1964 Tokyo, 1968 Mexico City, 1972 Munich | 26 | 1 | 2 Gold, 1 Silver (see note) |
| Dean Smith | 1976 Montreal | 7 | 0 | Gold |
| Bobby Knight | 1984 Los Angeles | 8 | 0 | Gold |
| John Thompson, Jr. | 1988 Seoul | 7 | 1 | Bronze |
| Chuck Daly | 1992 Barcelona | 8 | 0 | Gold |
| Lenny Wilkens | 1996 Atlanta | 8 | 0 | Gold |
| Rudy Tomjanovich | 2000 Sydney | 8 | 0 | Gold |
| Larry Brown | 2004 Athens | 5 | 3 | Bronze |
Note: 1972 silver is disputed, see section on 1972 controversy.
FIBA World Championships
| Coach | Event | Won | Lost | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon Carpenter | 1950 | 5 | 1 | Silver |
| Warren Womble | 1954 | 9 | 0 | Gold |
| Charles Bennett | 1959 | 7 | 2 | Silver |
| Garland Pinholster | 1963 | 6 | 3 | Gold |
| Hal Fischer | 1967, 1970 | 13 | 5 | |
| Gene Bartow | 1974 | 6 | 4 | |
| Bill Oates | 1978 | 8 | 0 | Gold |
| Bob Weltlich | 1982 | 7 | 2 | Silver |
| Lute Olson | 1986 | 9 | 1 | Gold |
| Mike Krzyzewski | 1990 | 6 | 2 | Bronze |
| Don Nelson | 1994 | 8 | 0 | Gold |
| Rudy Tomjanovich | 1998 | 7 | 2 | Bronze |
| George Karl | 2002 | 6 | 3 | |
| Mike Krzyzewski | 2006 | 8 | 1 | Bronze |
