USA Basketball Olympic Record

A. Yes, the USA basketball team has indeed suffered losses in a couple of the Olympics matches. Since basketball was introduced in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the USA’s first-ever loss was in the 1972 Germany Olympics. They secured their only silver medal to date after losing to Soviet Union 51-50 in the final.Their second loss came at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul after they lost to Soviet Union 76-82 in the semifinals. In the third-place game against Australia, they defeated them to secure the bronze medal.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, which is considered one of their worst performances ever, the USA men’s team lost three games - Puerto Rico 92, USA 73; Lithuania 94, USA 90; and Argentina 89, USA 81. Their 24-game Olympic winning streak since 1992 ended when they lost to Puerto Rico in the opening game. In the semi-final, they lost to Argentina 81-89. They had to be content with a bronze medal after they beat Lithuania 104-96. 

A. The USA has won the basketball Olympics a record 16 times out of their 19 appearances. They won the gold medal in the following years - 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1976, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020.

A. Carmelo Anthony currently sits atop Team USA's all-time leaderboard for most career points in the Olympics. He has 336 points to his name, which includes Team USA's single-game scoring record of 37 points against Nigeria in the 2012 Olympics in London. He played at the Olympics in the following years - 2016, 2012, 2008, and 2004.

A. Several prominent players declined invitations, in part due to security concerns over attending the first Olympic Games after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The roster was hastily assembled, and heavily flawed. They managed to secure the bronze with a victory over Lithuania in the third-place game, but the 2004 Olympics has widely been deemed a disaster in USA’s basketball history.