Ranking the Most Disappointing USA Men’s Basketball Performances
Grant White
Host · Writer
2004 - Athens Olympic Games, Bronze Medal
Widely touted as one of the best units to ever suit up for Team USA, the 2004 squad fell flat on its face in Athens. Led by future Hall of Famers Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson, Team USA lost three times en route to a bronze medal.
The tournament-opening loss to Puerto Rico foreshadowed what to expect at the 2004 Olympic Games. Another Group Play defeat at the hands of Lithuania put their medal hopes on life support before escaping with a win versus Angola to clinch a spot in the knockout round. Argentina handed the USA another loss in the semifinal, ending any hope of salvaging this year's outcome.
This was the first time in history that Team USA looked beatable, forcing the program to improve its standards moving forward.
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2020 - Tokyo Olympic Games, Gold Medal
A tournament-opening defeat to France put the 2020 Team USA Men's Basketball squad on notice, if not amplify concerns from their pre-tournament warm-up. Before the Greg Popovich-led team arrived in Tokyo for the Olympics, they dropped exhibition games versus Nigeria and Australia. The most concerning of those outcomes was giving up a 10-point second-half lead to the Boomers without recording a basket across the final 4:34 of the contest.
Alas, Team USA avenged two of its losses, knocking off Australia 97-78 in the semifinals, before besting France 87-82 in the Gold Medal Game. Still, this was a friendly reminder that the basketball gap between the USA and the rest of the world is shrinking.
1996 - Atlanta Olympic Games, Gold Medal
There was no way any team could follow in the Dream Team's footsteps, but all the 1996 squad could do was try.
It's hard to knock a team that went 8-0 in the Olympics, but this iteration of the program lacked the flare we were expecting, especially on home soil. Team USA meandered to the Gold Medal on the strength of 12.4 points per game from Charles Barkley, ending the tourney as the team's leading scorer. Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, and Reggie Miller tried to emulate the team's success before them, ultimately coming up short of leaving a memorable mark.
1988 - Seoul Olympic Games, Bronze Medal
The last Olympic Games that didn't feature NBA players ended in bitter disappointment for Team USA. The 1988 squad featured a collection of the best college basketball players from around the country. But for the first time in team history, USA fell short of the Gold Medal Game, hanging on for Bronze against Australia.
The former Soviet Union knocked Team USA off their stride in their semifinal matchup. That was only their second loss in the Olympics to date, going 84-1 ahead of that contest. Trailing for most of the second half, Team USA couldn't mount a comeback before getting relegated to the Bronze Medal Game.
1972 - Munich Olympic Games, Silver Medal
Of course, Team USA's only loss before 1988 famously came in the 1972 Gold Medal Game versus the Soviet Union. Entering the contest with a perfect 63-0 record in the Olympic Games, Team USA dropped a heartbreaking 51-50 decision in Munich.
Let's not forget the controversy surrounding the contest's end. A Soviet coach interrupted the contest after a Team USA missed free throw with three seconds left, coincidentally caused by an ill-timed buzzer. Subsequently, the inbounds play was replayed three times before the Soviets scored the game-winning basket.
The bitter defeat left many with a sour taste, heightening the political tensions of the Cold War era.
2004 - Athens Olympic Games, Bronze Medal
Widely touted as one of the best units to ever suit up for Team USA, the 2004 squad fell flat on its face in Athens. Led by future Hall of Famers Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson, Team USA lost three times en route to a bronze medal.
The tournament-opening loss to Puerto Rico foreshadowed what to expect at the 2004 Olympic Games. Another Group Play defeat at the hands of Lithuania put their medal hopes on life support before escaping with a win versus Angola to clinch a spot in the knockout round. Argentina handed the USA another loss in the semifinal, ending any hope of salvaging this year's outcome.
This was the first time in history that Team USA looked beatable, forcing the program to improve its standards moving forward.
Stay ahead of the game and elevate your sports betting experience with SportsGrid.
2020 - Tokyo Olympic Games, Gold Medal
A tournament-opening defeat to France put the 2020 Team USA Men's Basketball squad on notice, if not amplify concerns from their pre-tournament warm-up. Before the Greg Popovich-led team arrived in Tokyo for the Olympics, they dropped exhibition games versus Nigeria and Australia. The most concerning of those outcomes was giving up a 10-point second-half lead to the Boomers without recording a basket across the final 4:34 of the contest.
Alas, Team USA avenged two of its losses, knocking off Australia 97-78 in the semifinals, before besting France 87-82 in the Gold Medal Game. Still, this was a friendly reminder that the basketball gap between the USA and the rest of the world is shrinking.
