2004 United States men's Olympic basketball team
Updated: 10/31/2025, 8:45:45 PM Wikipedia source
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. The Americans were favored to win the gold medal, after winning the previous three tournaments. However, the team won only bronze, while losing three games against its opponents, the most games ever lost by a U.S. men's Olympic basketball team. This was the second time that Team USA won the bronze medal, having also done so at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Team USA 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 winning streak since 1992, when National Basketball Association (NBA) players were first allowed to compete. The team also lost a group stage game to Lithuania and the semi-final game to Argentina. In addition, the U.S. lost a friendly preparation game prior to the Olympics, against Italy, by a score of 95–78.
Infobox
Head coach
Larry Brown
Assists leader
Stephon Marbury 3.4
Scoring leader
Allen Iverson 13.8
Rebounding leader
Tim Duncan 9.1
Tables
Results · Summary
1
1
Game
1
Opponent
Puerto Rico
Result
L 73–92
diff
-19
Round
Group Play
Notes
Team's third and biggest Olympic loss
2
2
Game
2
Opponent
Greece
Result
W 77–71
diff
+6
Round
Group Play
3
3
Game
3
Opponent
Australia
Result
W 89–79
diff
+10
Round
Group Play
4
4
Game
4
Opponent
Lithuania
Result
L 90–94
diff
-4
Round
Group Play
Notes
Team's fourth Olympic loss
5
5
Game
5
Opponent
Angola
Result
W 89–53
diff
+36
Round
Group Play
6
6
Game
6
Opponent
Spain
Result
W 102–94
diff
+8
Round
Quarterfinals
7
7
Game
7
Opponent
Argentina
Result
L 81–89
diff
-8
Round
Semifinals
Notes
Team's fifth Olympic loss
8
8
Game
8
Opponent
Lithuania
Result
W 104–96
diff
+8
Round
Bronze Final
Notes
US wins bronze medal
Tournament totals: 5–3 record; 88 points per game; +4.6 average point differential
Tournament totals: 5–3 record; 88 points per game; +4.6 average point differential
Game
Tournament totals: 5–3 record; 88 points per game; +4.6 average point differential
| Game | Opponent | Result | diff | Round | Notes | Ref. |
| 1 | Puerto Rico | L 73–92 | -19 | Group Play | Team's third and biggest Olympic loss | |
| 2 | Greece | W 77–71 | +6 | Group Play | ||
| 3 | Australia | W 89–79 | +10 | Group Play | ||
| 4 | Lithuania | L 90–94 | -4 | Group Play | Team's fourth Olympic loss | |
| 5 | Angola | W 89–53 | +36 | Group Play | ||
| 6 | Spain | W 102–94 | +8 | Quarterfinals | ||
| 7 | Argentina | L 81–89 | -8 | Semifinals | Team's fifth Olympic loss | |
| 8 | Lithuania | W 104–96 | +8 | Bronze Final | US wins bronze medal | |
| Tournament totals: 5–3 record; 88 points per game; +4.6 average point differential | ||||||
· Statistical leaders
Points per game
Points per game
Category
Points per game
Player
Allen Iverson
Team
Philadelphia 76ers
Stat
13.8
Rebounds per game
Rebounds per game
Category
Rebounds per game
Player
Tim Duncan
Team
San Antonio Spurs
Stat
9.1
Assists per game
Assists per game
Category
Assists per game
Player
Stephon Marbury
Team
New York Knicks
Stat
3.4
Steals per game
Steals per game
Category
Steals per game
Player
Dwyane Wade
Team
Miami Heat
Stat
2.1
Blocks per game
Blocks per game
Category
Blocks per game
Player
Tim Duncan
Team
San Antonio Spurs
Stat
1.3
FG%
FG%
Category
FG%
Player
Carlos Boozer
Team
Utah Jazz
Stat
.625
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
| Points per game | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers | 13.8 |
| Rebounds per game | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs | 9.1 |
| Assists per game | Stephon Marbury | New York Knicks | 3.4 |
| Steals per game | Dwyane Wade | Miami Heat | 2.1 |
| Blocks per game | Tim Duncan | San Antonio Spurs | 1.3 |
| FG% | Carlos Boozer | Utah Jazz | |
References
- 2004 Olympic Games: Tournament for Men 13 to 29 Aug. 2004 - Athens in Greece.https://web.archive.org/web/20090805091325/http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/team/p/sid/3183/tid/379/_/2004_Olympic_Games_Tournament_for_Men/accumulated-statistics.html
- Orlando Sentinelhttps://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20040814-2004-08-14-0408140037-story.html
- Sports Illustratedhttps://vault.si.com/vault/2004/08/02/medal-picks-heres-the-outlook-for-all-301-events-as-well-as-the-us-prospects-and-a-gallery-of-international-stars
- ESPN.comhttps://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27521453/how-1992-dream-team-sparked-global-nba-fandom
- CNN.comhttp://edition.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/08/15/olympics.basketball/
- Italia-Usa 95-78: gli azzurri nella storia del basket (in Italian).https://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/news/notizie-nascoste/18696/italia-usa-95-78-gli-azzurri-nella-storia-del-basket.html
- Italians' 3-point shooting nets 45 points.https://www.espn.com/olympics/summer04/basketball/news/story?id=1851520
- Italy stun US 'Dream Team'.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/basketball/3533472.stm
- 2004 Athenshttp://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/2004/Results/Basketball.pdf
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/08/sports/athens-summer-2004-olympics-sports-disciplines.html
- Hoophttps://hoop.nba.com/nba_hoop_low_post/four-point-play-36/
- Pro Basketball Talkhttps://nba.nbcsports.com/2019/07/26/team-usa-perilously-low-on-star-power/
- The Ringerhttps://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/8/19/20811547/team-usa-worst-ever-2019-fiba-world-cup
- Sports Illustratedhttps://vault.si.com/vault/2004/09/06/third-world
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-aug-16-sp-olyhoops16-story.html
- 2004 USA Men's Basketball Olympic Summary Archived 2010-01-03 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19http://usabasketball.com/news.php?news_page=moly_2004
- Box score (8/15/04) Archived November 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/2004/04_moly1_box.html
- Box score (8/17/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/2004/04_moly2_box.html
- Box score (8/19/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/2004/04_moly3_box.html
- Box score (8/21/04) Archived 2012-12-20 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/2004/04_moly4_box.html
- Box score (8/23/04) Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved .April 19, 2014http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/2004/04_moly5_box.html
- Box score (8/26/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/2004/04_moly6_box.html
- Box score (8/28/04) Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, USA Basketball, Retrieved April 19, 2014.http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/2004/04_moly83_box.html