2004 United States men's Olympic basketball team

The men's national basketball team of the United States competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. The team was led by future Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Larry Brown. Having won gold in the previous three straight Olympic Games, the Americans were favored to win Olympic gold again in 2004.[2][3] However, the team won bronze, while losing three games against its opponents, the most games ever lost by a U.S. men's Olympic basketball team.

2004 United States men's Olympic basketball team
Basketball at the Summer Olympics season
Head coachLarry Brown
2004 Summer Olympics
Scoring leader Allen Iverson[1]
13.8
Rebounding leader Tim Duncan
9.1
Assists leader Stephon Marbury
3.4

The team lost its opening game to Puerto Rico by 19 points, which stands as the largest margin of defeat for the U.S. in the Olympics.[4] It ended their 24-game Olympic win streak since 1992, when National Basketball Association (NBA) professionals were first allowed to compete.[5] The team also lost games in the Olympics to Lithuania and Argentina. In addition, the team also lost a friendly preparation game prior to the Olympics, against Italy, by a score of 95–78.[6][7][8] This was the second time that Team USA won the bronze medal, having also done so at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Roster
Team USA members warming up at Belgrade Arena before their preparation game versus Serbia-Montenegro in August 2004.

The following is the United States roster in the men's basketball tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics.[9]

United States men's national basketball team – 2004 Summer Olympics roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameAge – Date of birthHeightClubCtr.
G 4 Iverson, Allen 29 – (1975-06-07)7 June 1975 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Philadelphia 76ers
G 5 Marbury, Stephon 27 – (1977-02-20)20 February 1977 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) New York Knicks
G 6 Wade, Dwyane 22 – (1982-01-17)17 January 1982 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Miami Heat
F 7 Boozer, Carlos 22 – (1981-11-20)20 November 1981 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Cleveland Cavaliers
F 8 Anthony, Carmelo 20 – (1984-05-29)29 May 1984 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Denver Nuggets
F 9 James, LeBron 19 – (1984-12-30)30 December 1984 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Cleveland Cavaliers
C 10 Okafor, Emeka 21 – (1982-09-28)28 September 1982 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) University of Connecticut
F 11 Marion, Shawn 26 – (1978-05-07)7 May 1978 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Phoenix Suns
C 12 Stoudemire, Amar'e 21 – (1982-11-16)16 November 1982 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Phoenix Suns
F 13 Duncan, Tim (C) 28 – (1976-04-25)25 April 1976 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) San Antonio Spurs
F 14 Odom, Lamar 24 – (1979-11-06)6 November 1979 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Miami Heat
G 15 Jefferson, Richard 24 – (1980-06-21)21 June 1980 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) New Jersey Nets
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • nat field describes country
    of last club
    before the tournament
  • Age as of August 13, 2004

After the United States finished at a humiliating sixth place in the 2002 FIBA World Championship, the Americans overhauled their roster for the 2003 FIBA Tournament of the Americas in Puerto Rico, where they were needed to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The team cruised to a first-place finish at the Americas Championship, and earned a spot in Athens, Greece, the following summer. However most from the 2003 squad opted not to compete in the Olympics with the exception of Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, and Richard Jefferson. Newcomers to the team included young players LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Emeka Okafor.[10] The team featured just one All-NBA selection (Duncan) and two All-Stars (Duncan and Iverson[11]) from the prior NBA season, which are both all-time lows for a U.S. Olympic team since NBA players were first allowed in 1992.[12][13] Team USA was coached by Larry Brown, who was coming off a championship in the 2004 NBA Finals.[10]

Summary

The United States struggled with their outside shooting, finishing the tournament ranked last in three point field goals made (5.5 per game) and 11th in percentage (31.4) out of 12 teams. They also struggled defensively.[14]

Their loss to Puerto Rico was just the third in U.S. Olympic men's basketball history. Their two previous losses were both to the Soviet Union (1972 and 1988), with six having been the largest margin of defeat.[15]

Results
GameOpponentResultPoint
diff		RoundNotesRef.
1 Puerto RicoL 73–92-19Group PlayTeam's third and biggest Olympic loss[16][17]
2 GreeceW 77–71+6Group Play[18]
3 AustraliaW 89–79+10Group Play[19]
4 LithuaniaL 90–94-4Group PlayTeam's fourth Olympic loss[20]
5 AngolaW 89–53+36Group Play[21]
6 SpainW 102–94+8Quarterfinals[22]
7 ArgentinaL 81–89-8SemifinalsTeam's fifth Olympic loss[16]
8 LithuaniaW 104–96+8Bronze FinalUS wins bronze medal[23]
Tournament totals: 5–3 record; 88 points per game; +4.6 average point differential

Statistical leaders
CategoryPlayerTeamStat
Points per gameAllen IversonPhiladelphia 76ers13.8
Rebounds per gameTim DuncanSan Antonio Spurs9.1
Assists per gameStephon MarburyNew York Knicks3.4
Steals per gameDwyane WadeMiami Heat2.1
Blocks per gameTim DuncanSan Antonio Spurs1.3
FG%Carlos BoozerUtah Jazz.625

Records broken
  • Stephon Marbury scored 31 points and hit a record six three-pointers against Spain.
  • Team USA shot 12-of-22 (54.5 percent) 3-pointers in that same game.

References
  1. 2004 Olympic Games: Tournament for Men 13 to 29 Aug. 2004 - Athens in Greece.
  2. Maese, Rick (14 August 2004). "Mystique Around US Team Fades". Orlando Sentinel. Daily Press. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  3. Cazeneuve, Brian (August 2, 2004). "MEDAL PICKS HERE'S THE OUTLOOK FOR ALL 301 EVENTS, AS WELL AS THE U.S. PROSPECTS AND A GALLERY OF INTERNATIONAL STARS". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 10, 2020. Two golds are expected, though the men are in more danger of being upset, having placed sixth at the 2002 worlds.
  4. "How the 1992 Dream Team sparked global NBA fandom". ESPN.com. September 2, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
  5. "'Dream team' beaten by Puerto Rico". CNN.com. 16 August 2004. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  6. Italia-Usa 95-78: gli azzurri nella storia del basket (in Italian).
  7. Italians' 3-point shooting nets 45 points.
  8. Italy stun US 'Dream Team'.
  9. "Men's Basketball Team Roster – United States (USA)" (PDF). 2004 Athens. LA84 Foundation. 9 April 2014. p. 89.
  10. "ATHENS: SUMMER 2004 OLYMPICS; Sports, Disciplines". The New York Times. August 8, 2004. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  11. Howerton, Darryl (August 23, 2019). "Four-Point Play". Hoop. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  12. Feldman, Dan (July 26, 2019). "Team USA perilously low on star power". Pro Basketball Talk. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  13. Kram, Zach (August 19, 2019). "Is This the Worst Team USA in Modern History?". The Ringer. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  14. MacCallum, Jack (September 6, 2004). "Third World". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  15. Elliot, Helene (August 16, 2004). "U.S. Men's Basketball Suffers Stunning Defeat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  16. 2004 USA Men's Basketball Olympic Summary Archived 2010-01-03 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014\.
  17. Box score (8/15/04) Archived November 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  18. Box score (8/17/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014
  19. Box score (8/19/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014
  20. Box score (8/21/04) Archived 2012-12-20 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  21. Box score (8/23/04) Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved .April 19, 2014
  22. Box score (8/26/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  23. Box score (8/28/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.
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