When USA Basketball opened its program to NBA players in 1992, the global festival was first visited by an overwhelming American majority.
However, it didn’t take long for the festival to catch up.
Since a trio of losses held the United States to a bronze medal in 2004, Olympic-level victories are a foregone conclusion. That doesn’t come with the World Championship (now known as the FIBA Basketball World Cup), which the United States has won. only two out of six times since 1998.
Here’s a look at the closest but victorious Olympic squads for the Reds, Whites and Blues since the Dream Team ushered in a new era of basketball.
1992 — Barcelona, Spain
Rival: Croatia
Stage: Gold medal match
Final score: 117-85
Margin of victory: 32
The Dream Team, led by all-time icons Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, came to an end in the days when school players were dominated and surpassed by older and more experienced foreign competitors.
Even Croatia had little luck despite NBA talents Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc and Dino Radja. Jordan led Team USA with 22 points, and six more Americans joined him in double digits.
Rival: Lithuania
Scene: Group game
Final score: 104-82
Winning Margin: 22
The 1996 version of the U. S. team. The U. S. military was absurdly sized, with a young Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson in the middle. Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Grant Hill and Scottie Pippen opposed the positions of the attackers.
This strong front line nullified the strong play of Lithuania, one of the most consistent foreign countries of the modern era. Despite this, the United States’ talent, physicality and three-point shooting (Reggie Miller, Mitch Richmond and Gary Payton combined to shoot 7 of 12 from deep in this game) kept the European country out of reach.
2000 – Sydney, Australia
Opponent: Lithuania
Stage: Semi-finals
Final score: 85-83
Margin of victory: 2
Before returning to Earth in 2004, the American team suffered their first real scare in Sydney. This is where the formidable Lithuanians came close to sending the Americans home in a surprising way.
Sarunas Jasikevicius, a basketball legend in his home country, fired what would have been the winning shot from center court at the buzzer. They came up short and left, allowing the United States to succeed in the gold medal game by a narrow margin.
Lithuania took all the credit for the United States’ turnovers (11) and poor loose shots (21 of 30). The Americans were led by Vince Carter, Alonzo Mourning and Kevin Garnett, who combined for 46 of the team’s 85 points.
2004 – Athens, Greece
Rival: Greece
Scene: Group Play
Final score: 77-71
Margin of victory: 6
After a very good 19-point loss to Puerto Rico, the United States desperately needed to win their next hosting match against host Greece. They almost failed to do so despite Tim Duncan’s 14 problems and LeBron James’ 10. the bench at that time.
Antonis Fotsis, a hard-hitting forward who played abroad for a brief stint in the NBA, nearly led his country to disappointment with 22 goals and 8 of 15 shots. However, Greece couldn’t overcome a 17-shot deficit, and the United States survived. . . only to lose to Lithuania in the organizational game and then to eventual gold medallists Argentina in the semifinals.
2008 – Beijing, China
Rival: Spain
Stage: Gold medal match
Final score: 118-107
Margin of victory: 11
A rebuilt and revitalized U. S. basketball program — new since bronze medals at the 2004 Olympics and 2006 World Championships — entered Beijing as the “Redemption Team. “They played the role that got them into the gold medal game, winning the game in 20 numbers or more while imposing overwhelming athleticism on the opposition.
Spain, gold medallists at the 2006 World Championships, refused to give in so softly when the gold medal was on the line. Six Spaniards scored in double figures, led by Pau Gasol (21) and Rudy Fernandez (22). Gasol put Spain within five minutes with 3:32 left.
Then Kobe Bryant, an older statesman on a younger American team, stepped in, hit a 3-pointer and put a finger to his lips in the direction of the pro-Spanish contingent in the crowd. The United States held on to win the gold medal and usher in a new era of Olympic victories.
2012 – London, England
Opponent: Lithuania
Scene: Group Play
Final score: 99-94
Margin of victory: 5
Comprised of most of their iconic 2008 core, the U. S. team has been a major part of the 2008 Core. The U. S. arrived at the London Olympics expecting a tough festival from its former rivals, Spain and Argentina.
Lithuania, however, ended up reminding Team USA of its own pedigree organizational play. NBA forward Linas Kleiza scored 25 points and added a three-pointer to give Lithuania an 82-80 lead. James, now in his prime and an NBA champion, took care of both ends, finishing with 20 problems and 3 steals. Carmelo Anthony added 20 points in this victory, his closest gold medal besides any other against Spain (107-100).
2016 — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Opponent: Serbia
Scene: Group Play
Final score: 94-91
Margin of victory: 3
We pick this up from the three-point win against France, which came a little later. Serbia had a more realistic chance of borrowing this game down the stretch, especially after a miss by Kyrie Irving left the Serbs with the ball and down just 3 with about a minute to play.
Neither team scored in the final minute and the United States held on after leading 23-5 from the start. Serbia’s comeback attempt was fueled by Nikola Jokic (25 points) and Milos Teodosic (18 points, 6 assists). Irving led the United States with 15 points, while Paul George added 12 points, nine rebounds and 4 assists.
2021 — Tokyo, Japan
Opponent: France
Stage: Gold Medal Game
Final score: 87-82
Margin of Victory: 5
With France already posting an 83-76 victory over the Americans in organizational play, the gold medal game will be electrifying revenge.
Rudy Gobert, fresh off his third Kia Defensive Player of the Year award, provided an imposing presence in the middle. Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum occupied the wings, while EuroLeague star Nando de Colo (12 points, five rebounds, 7 assists) led the French attack.
Kevin Durant, however, further cemented his position as one of the most important foreign players of all time, completing with a game-high 29 points on 50% shooting. Jayson Tatum added 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench. France pulled within three points on Frank Ntilikina’s 3-pointer with 5:44 remaining, but the United States held them off thereafter to win their fourth direct Olympic gold medal.
2024 — Paris, France
Opponent: Serbia
Stage: Semifinals
Final score: 95-91
Margin of victory: 4
Perhaps one of the most thrilling wins in USA Basketball history saw the Americans come back from 17 points down and beat Nikola Jokic and the Serbs for a spot in the 2024 gold medal game. The three notable stars of the last generation did it: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant.
James finished with a triple-double, effortlessly alternating between setting up his teammates and breaking down the Serbian defense with moves that defied his nine years. Curry showed off his mythical shooting touch, adding 36 points and hitting nine of 14 three-pointers. Durant helped close out Serbia with decisive shots and defense.
The victory came despite the efforts of Jokic (17 points, 11 assists) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (20 points), who still have a chance of seeing their country win an Olympic medal.