Team USA Paralympics Men's Basketball: Taking a look at their overall medal tally, records and best finishes

Team USA's Paralympics men's basketball team is the favorite for the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, having won the previous edition of the competition at the Rio Games five years ago.

They are the most successful team in the history of the competition, and there is little doubt that they could bag the gold medal this year as well. On that note, here's a look at their overall medal tally, records and best finishes at the Paralympics.

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Team USA Paralympics Men's Basketball overall medal tally

2016 Rio Paralympics - Day 10

In 15 appearances at the Paralympics, Team USA's men's basketball team has amassed a record-breaking tally of eight golds, one silver and four bronze medals. They won gold in 1960 (2), 1964 (2), 1972, 1976, 1988 and 2016. Their solitary silver medal came in 1968, while their bronze-medal wins came in 1980, 1996, 2000 and 2012.

Their dominance is evident in the fact that they are the only team to win more than three gold medals in the event. They finished fourth in the 1984 and 2008 editions of the competition, while in 2004, they finished seventh, their worst performance in the competition thus far. Team USA's 1992 gold-medal win was nullified after the team was found guilty of doping.

Medal opportunities for 🇨🇦 in cycling and at the pool. Canadian men’s wheelchair basketball team begins. Wheelchair rugby Canada vs USA. So much more. All the drama on day two at the #Paralympics. Here are all the details and times for the events: https://t.co/cuGTvJMMGH

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) August 25, 2021

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Team USA Paralympics Men's Basketball Records

A key record that Team USA Paralympics men's basketball team have is their tally of 12 victories so far, which is double that of their nearest rivals, Canada (six). Another astonishing record Team USA have is their stunning 78-15 win-loss record in the Paralympic Games. That's by far the best record any team has had in the history of the Paralympics.

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Team USA Paralympics Men's Basketball best finishes

As mentioned previously, Team USA Paralympics Men's basketball team has finished in first place eight times (1960 x 2, 1964 x 2, 1972, 1976, 1988 and 2016). They won the 2016 edition of the competition by beating Spain 68-52.

It was their first gold medal since Seoul 1988, ending their 28-year drought. It was also the first time since 1988 that both the US men’s and women’s teams won gold medals, and the first time since 1996 when both teams medaled at the Paralympics competition.

Winning and losing, joy and heartbreak...Just three points separated #USA and #GER at the buzzer in their preliminary men's #WheelchairBasketball battle. Final score 58-55!#Tokyo2020 #Paralympics @_IWBF pic.twitter.com/ItoXgAhLCG

— Paralympic Games (@Paralympics) August 26, 2021

Team USA swept all the basketball gold medals in 2016, with the men's, women's, Paralympics men's and Paralympics women's teams, all winning the gold medal.

This time around, Team USA Paralympics men's basketball hopes will rest on the shoulders of Trevon Jenifer. He is a three-time Paralympian and a seven-time medalist for the USA, Josh Turek, Michael Paye, Matt Scott and Steve Serio are also expected to play key roles in the team's campaign in Tokyo.

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