USA Men’s basketball dominates the Olympic games
One of the biggest arguments in basketball is who’s “The Goat” (Greatest of all time), Michael Jordan or LeBron James. There’s also the debate about the better Olympic team: the 1992 Dream Team or the 2008 Redeem Team.
The 1992 Dream Team was headlined by athletes like Michael Jordan, Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, Larry Bird, Chris Mullen, Clyde Drexler, David Robinson, Christian Laettner, and John Stockton.
The 2008 Redeem team featured players like Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Reed, and Deron Williams.
The Dream Team’s average margin of victory of each game was an astonishing 44 points. When you think about it, it puts them up there as maybe the most dominating sports team in the history of sports.
The Redeem Team, which averaged only a whopping 28 points, had an average margin of victory. However, competition worldwide strengthened 16 years after the Dream Team’s dominant run in the summer of 1992.
We could go all day about the two teams, but what about the other Olympic teams?
The 1996 team, nicknamed the Dream Team III, which had five members of the original Dream Team, Barkley, Malone, Pippen, Stockton, and Robinson, brought home the gold again.
The 2012 team brought home the 14th title. The 2012 team brought back players from the 2008 Redeem Team, James, Anthony, Williams, and Paul, and featured players like Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Tyson Chandler, and Russell Westbrook.
But the classic 1956 USA team, who played in Melbourne, Australia, beat their opponents by an average of 53.5 points.
All teams helped create the stronghold – today known as USA basketball.
The top five lists of medalist by country are:
Number 1 – the United States, with a total of 19. USA won 16 gold medals, one silver and two bronze.
The Soviet Union (now Russia) comes in second with nine total medals. Yugoslavia is in third place with five total medals; Spain is fourth with four; and Argentina has won only two, coming in fifth.
The 1992 Olympics was the first year National Basketball Association (NBA) players were allowed to participate. Since then, the United States has won a medal in every Olympic event. And you can guarantee that the United States will be on stage when it’s all said and done.
The strength of basketball around the world has gotten tougher. The last six winners of the NBA Most Valuable Player award have gone to foreign basketball stars. But, the USA will continue to be the giant in global hoops.
The 2024 Summer Olympics will be held in Paris, and once again, the stars of the NBA have aligned to defend the USA crown.