United States Olympic Basketball Record
20
Olympic Appearances
17
Gold Medals
1
Silver Medal
2
Bronze Medals
149-6
Game Record
96.1%
Winning Percentage
The United States has been the dominant nation in men's Olympic
basketball since the sport became an official Olympic event at the
1936 Berlin Games.
Through the 2024 Paris Olympics, Team USA has appeared in 20 Olympic
basketball tournaments and has won a medal in every appearance:
17 gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals.
The United States did not participate in the 1980 Moscow Olympics
because of the U.S.-led boycott of the Games.
United States Men's Basketball — Olympic Results by Year
| Host Country |
Year |
Result |
Finish |
GP |
W |
L |
PF |
PA |
PD |
Head Coach |
| Germany |
1936 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 23 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
154 |
69 |
+85 |
James Needles |
| United Kingdom |
1948 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 23 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
524 |
256 |
+268 |
Omar Browning |
| Finland |
1952 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 23 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
562 |
406 |
+156 |
Warren Womble |
| Australia |
1956 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 15 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
793 |
365 |
+428 |
Gerald Tucker |
| Italy |
1960 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 16 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
815 |
476 |
+339 |
Pete Newell |
| Japan |
1964 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 16 |
9 |
9 |
0 |
704 |
434 |
+270 |
Henry Iba |
| Mexico |
1968 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 16 |
9 |
9 |
0 |
739 |
505 |
+234 |
Henry Iba |
| West Germany |
1972 |
Silver Medal |
2nd of 16 |
9 |
8 |
1 |
660 |
401 |
+259 |
Henry Iba |
| Canada |
1976 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 12 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
586 |
500 |
+86 |
Dean Smith |
| Soviet Union |
1980 |
Qualified as defending Olympic champion but withdrew because of the
United States boycott of the Moscow Games.
|
Dave Gavitt |
| United States |
1984 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 12 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
763 |
506 |
+257 |
Bob Knight |
| South Korea |
1988 |
Bronze Medal |
3rd of 12 |
8 |
7 |
1 |
733 |
490 |
+243 |
John Thompson |
| Spain |
1992 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 12 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
938 |
588 |
+350 |
Chuck Daly |
| United States |
1996 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 12 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
816 |
562 |
+254 |
Lenny Wilkens |
| Australia |
2000 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 12 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
760 |
587 |
+173 |
Rudy Tomjanovich |
| Greece |
2004 |
Bronze Medal |
3rd of 12 |
8 |
5 |
3 |
705 |
668 |
+37 |
Larry Brown |
| China |
2008 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 12 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
850 |
627 |
+223 |
Mike Krzyzewski |
| United Kingdom |
2012 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 12 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
924 |
667 |
+257 |
Mike Krzyzewski |
| Brazil |
2016 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 12 |
8 |
8 |
0 |
807 |
627 |
+180 |
Mike Krzyzewski |
| Japan |
2020 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 12 |
6 |
5 |
1 |
594 |
474 |
+120 |
Gregg Popovich |
| France |
2024 |
Gold Medal |
1st of 12 |
6 |
6 |
0 |
632 |
518 |
+114 |
Steve Kerr |
| United States |
2028 |
Qualified as Host Nation |
TBD |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Erik Spoelstra |
| Olympic Totals Through 2024 |
17 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze |
155 |
149 |
6 |
14,059 |
9,726 |
+4,333 |
|
United States Olympic Medal History
Gold Medals (17):
1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1984, 1992,
1996, 2000, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Silver Medal (1):
1972.
Bronze Medals (2):
1988 and 2004.
Team USA has won gold in each of the last five Olympic tournaments:
2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Olympic Eras
1936-1988 — Amateur Era:
For most of Olympic basketball history, the United States used amateur
players, primarily from the college and AAU ranks. The U.S. won the
first seven Olympic basketball tournaments it entered before losing the
controversial 1972 gold-medal game to the Soviet Union.
1992 — The Dream Team:
The 1992 Barcelona Olympics marked the first time the United States
fielded a team built primarily around active NBA stars. Michael Jordan,
Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and the rest of the Dream
Team went 8-0 and won games by an average of more than 43 points.
2004 — Lowest Finish of the NBA Era:
The United States went 5-3 in Athens and finished with the bronze medal.
It remains Team USA's only Olympic tournament of the NBA-player era
without reaching the gold-medal game.
2008-2024 — Return to Dominance:
Beginning with the 2008 "Redeem Team," the United States has won five
consecutive Olympic gold medals.
1980 Olympic Boycott
The United States qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympics as the
defending Olympic champion but did not participate after the United
States government led a boycott of the Games following the Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan.
Because Team USA did not compete, 1980 is not counted among the
United States' 20 Olympic basketball appearances.
2028 Los Angeles Olympics
The United States will return to the Olympics in
Los Angeles in 2028 as the host nation. Team USA will
attempt to win a sixth consecutive men's basketball gold medal.
Erik Spoelstra has been named head coach of the
United States Men's National Team through 2028. Spoelstra previously
served as an assistant under Steve Kerr when the United States won the
2024 Olympic gold medal in Paris.
