(Redirected from Dream Team (basketball)):''For other uses, see
Dream Team.''
The 'United States men's national basketball team' is the representative for the
United States of America in international men's
basketball. 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.
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.
[1] [2] [3]
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 dominance has lessened recent years. Facing increased competition from international teams, helped in no small way by the expansion of basketball sparked by the 1992 Dream Team
[4], the USA failed to win a medal at the 2002
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.
[5]
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 Aleksander 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.
[6] 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.
[7]
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
Bob 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 the 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 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 among the
50 Greatest Players in NBA History, 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.
Dream Team roster
Players in ''italics'' were '''not''' named among the NBA's 50 Greatest Players.
★ C:
David Robinson of the
San Antonio Spurs
★ PF:
Karl Malone of the
Utah Jazz
★ SF:
Larry Bird of the
Boston Celtics
★ SG:
Michael Jordan of the
Chicago Bulls
★ PG:
Magic Johnson of the
Los Angeles Lakers
Bench:
★
Charles Barkley of the
Phoenix Suns
★
Patrick Ewing of the
New York Knicks
★ ''
Christian Laettner'' of
Duke University
★ ''
Chris Mullin'' of the
Golden State Warriors
★
Scottie Pippen of the
Chicago Bulls
★
Clyde Drexler of the
Portland Trail Blazers
★
John Stockton of the
Utah Jazz
Coach:
Chuck Daly of the
Detroit Pistons
The 1992 Dream Team's Olympic Summary
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. Barkley also received attention for elbowing an Angolan player, whom Barkley outweighed by almost 50 pounds. When asked about the incident after the game, Barkley responded, "Somebody hits me, I'm gonna hit him back, even if it does look like he hasn't eaten in a while!"
The Dream Team next 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 high point for Croatia was a brief 25-23 lead. The Dream Team won the Olympic basketball tournament with a victory margin of 43.8 and without coach Chuck Daly ever using a timeout.
1994 World Championship Team, or Dream Team II
"Dream Team II" logo.
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,
Steve Smith,
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
"Dream Team III" logo.
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.
Lenny Wilkens coached the team
The Americans won another gold medal with an average margin of victory of 32.3 points per game. They captured the gold medal after defeating
Yugoslavia 95–69.
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", literally jumping over 7'2"/2.18 m
France center Frédéric Weis on his way to the basket.
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,
USA. Coached by
George Karl, the team finished a surprising sixth in the competition. During the tournament, Argentina became the first team ever to defeat a USA Team composed of NBA players. 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
FIBA Americas Championship 2003, 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 young NBA stars early in their careers, such as Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, but included recent Most Valuable Players Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson.
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,and
LeBron James 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 USA 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
[8]) 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.
[9]
Current Team USA
2007 FIBA Americas Championship Roster
Reserve Players
Injured Players
Coaching Staff
Past players
★
Charles Barkley
★
Don Barksdale
★
Walt Bellamy
★
Larry Bird
★
Bill Bradley
★
Larry Brown
★
Vince Carter
★
Adrian Dantley
★
Clyde Drexler
★
Tim Duncan
★
Patrick Ewing
★
Kevin Garnett
★
Penny Hardaway
★
Spencer Haywood
★
Grant Hill
★
Allen Iverson
★
Magic Johnson
★
K.C. Jones
★
Michael Jordan
★
Jerry Lucas
★
Karl Malone
★
Tracy McGrady
★
Reggie Miller
★
Shaquille O'Neal
★
Hakeem Olajuwon
★
Gary Payton
★
Scottie Pippen
★
Oscar Robertson
★
David Robinson
★
Bill Russell
★
John Stockton
★
Isiah Thomas
★
Bill Walton
★
Jerry West
Team USA Coaches
Olympics
★ 1972 silver is disputed, see above
FIBA World Championships
External links
★
Official website of USA Basketball
★
USA Basketball at NBA.com
…
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
![Daily flights from NYC to Mont Tremblant\](images/articles/thumbs/nytremblantthumb.jpg "Daily flights from NYC to Mont Tremblant\")
