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. 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.
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. It ended their 24-game Olympic win streak since 1992, when National Basketball Association professionals were first allowed to compete. 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. This was the second time that Team USA won the bronze medal, having also done so at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Roster

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. The team featured just one All-NBA selection and two All-Stars 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. Team USA was coached by Larry Brown, who was coming off a championship in the 2004 NBA Finals.

Summary

The United States struggled with their outside shooting, finishing the tournament ranked last in three point field goals made and 11th in percentage out of 12 teams. They also struggled defensively.
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, with six having been the largest margin of defeat.

Statistical leaders

Records broken