Ranking every USA men's Olympic basketball team
Ranking every USA men's Olympic basketball team.
1. 1992, Barcelona
The original Dream Team was arguably the best team to ever play on a basketball court. The team averaged a staggering 117.3 points per game, with an average victory of 44 points. It was a who's who of future Hall of Famers led by Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
2. 1996, Atlanta
The second Dream Team won by an average of 32 points, led by top scorers David Robinson, Reggie Miller and Charles Barkley. The team also included big men Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon.
3. 2012, London
The London team was an offensive force, with 115.5 points per game, the second highest average of any USA Olympic team. Kevin Durant led the team with 19.5 points per game, followed by Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
4. 2008, Beijing
Known as the Redeem Team following a disappointing bronze medal in 2004, the USA team dominated with an average victory of 28 points. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant led the team in scoring.
5. 2000, Sydney
The world began to close the deficit on the USA team in 2000, but the Americans still averaged winning by nearly 22 points per game. The top scorers were Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.
6. 1984, Los Angeles
The 1984 team had an impressive collection of talent, led by top scorers Michael Jordan, Chris Mullin, Patrick Ewing and Steve Alford, and coached by Bob Knight. While the depth doesn't stack up to the professional teams in 1992 and after, the 1984 squad easily claimed the gold with an average victory of 32 points.
8. 1956, Melbourne
The Melbourne squad was the most dominant in history, winning by an average of 54 points per game. The team was led by top scorers Bill Russell, Bob Jeangerard, Ron Tomsic and K.C. Jones. Five of their eight wins were by more than 50 points.
9. 1960, Rome
The 1960 squad's average win was more than 42 points, with the impressive trio of Oscar Roberson, Jerry Lucas and Jerry West. The team's closest win was a 24-point domination of the Soviets.
10. 1964, Tokyo
The USA team that participated in Tokyo won by 30 points per game. The Americans were led by top scorers Jerry Shipp, Bill Bradley and Luke Jackson.
12. 1948, London
The team in London had an average margin of victory of more than 33 points and held opponents to only 32 points per game. The top scorers were Alex Groza, Bob Kurland and Don Barksdale.
11. 1972, Munich
The 1972 squad was dominant until the gold medal game. USA lost the gold medal game to the Soviets after time was added on to the clock after regulation. The Americans won the silver and still refuse to claim their medals. It was the first loss ever by USA Men's Basketball in the Olympics.
14. 1976, Montreal
The 1976 team claimed gold after the disappointment of Munich in 1972. The team won by an average of 14 points per game, led by top scorers Adrian Dantley, Scott May and Mitch Kupchak. Despite going a perfect 6-0, the team did have some close calls, including a one-point win vs. Puerto Rico in group play.
13. 1968, Mexico City
The 1968 squad won by 26 points per game, with top scorers Spencer Haywood, Jo-Jo White and Mike Silliman. The Americans finished with close victories vs. Puerto Rico, Brazil and Yugoslavia.
15. 1952, Helsinki
The 1952 squad won by nearly 20 points per game, going a perfect 8-0 to claim the gold medal. Clyde Lovelette and Bob Kenney led the team in scoring.
17. 1936: Berlin
In the first year of Olympic basketball, Team USA cruised to the gold medal with four wins. They allowed only 17.3 points per game, winning the Gold Medal game over Canada 19-8.
7. 2004, Athens
The 2004 squad was a massive disappointment, with three losses and a bronze medal. Talent certainly wasn't an issue, led by Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan, along with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony coming off the bench. However, the team opened the Olympics with an awful 19-point loss to Puerto Rico and later lost to Lithuania and Argentina.
16. 1988, Seoul
The 1988 squad was a disappointment, winning the bronze medal after losing to the Soviets in the semifinals. The Americans had an otherwise dominant Olympic campaign led by future NBA stars Dan Majerle, David Robinson, Danny Manning and Mitch Richmond.
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