List of Olympic medalists in basketball
Basketball is a sport contested at the Summer Olympic Games. A men's basketball tournament was first held at the 1904 Olympics as a demonstration; it has been held at every Summer Olympics since 1936. In the 1972 Olympics, the final game between the United States and the Soviet Union was a controversial one, as the game was ended and replayed twice by a FIBA (International Basketball Federation) official without the authority to do so, before the Soviet Union won their first gold medal, which would have been won by the United States if the game was not started against the rules. The U.S. filed a formal protest but was rejected by FIBA. As a result, the United States refused to accept the silver medal, and no player has ever claimed his medal.[1] After a protest of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, the United States boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics.[2] The Soviet Union responded by leading the 1984 Summer Olympics boycott, citing security concerns in the United States.[3] Both boycotts affected basketball at the Olympics, as both had successful basketball teams at the time. In 1989, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to allow professional athletes to compete in the Olympics,[4] and starting in 1992, the National Basketball Association (NBA) allowed its players to participate. Women's basketball was first held at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Both events have been held at every Olympic Games since.[5]
The USA's Teresa Edwards is the all-time leader for the most Olympic medals in basketball, with four gold and one bronze. Five athletes have won four medals: the USA's Lisa Leslie (four gold), the Soviet Union's Gennadi Volnov (one gold, two silver, one bronze) and Sergei Belov (one gold, three bronze), and Australians Kristi Harrower and Lauren Jackson (both with three silvers and one bronze). Leslie is the all-time leader for the most consecutive gold medal wins in basketball. Eight individuals, all American women, have won three golds—Edwards, Leslie, Katie Smith, Dawn Staley, Sheryl Swoopes, Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, and Diana Taurasi—and 23 other players, not including the previously mentioned, have won three medals.[6][7]
The United States have been successful in both the men's and women's tournaments, winning a medal in every Olympiad except the 1980 Summer Olympics, which it boycotted. The Soviet Union is the only other country to have won 12 medals in the men's and women's tournaments, 10 of which were won from 1952 to 1980. Two other countries have won five medals: Australia (all women's) and Brazil (three men's, two women's). As of the 2012 Summer Olympics, 84 medals (28 of each color) have been awarded to teams from 19 National Olympic Committees.
Two gold medal-winning teams, both U.S. men's teams, were inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. The 1960 team featured four players who would eventually enter the Hall of Fame, a head coach who would enter the Hall as a contributor, and a team manager who entered the Hall as a coach. The 1992 team, better known as the "Dream Team", had 11 future Hall of Fame players, along with three coaches who were inducted to the Hall as coaches (one of whom was previously inducted separately for his accomplishments as a player).[8][9]
Men
Individuals who have been inducted to the Naismith Hall of Fame (including announced members awaiting induction) are indicated as follows:
- Bold type: Inducted as players.
- Italics: Inducted in a non-playing role.
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Women
Individuals who have been inducted to the Naismith Hall of Fame (including announced members awaiting induction) are indicated as follows:
- Bold type: Inducted as players.
- Italics: Inducted in a non-playing role.
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Athlete medal leaders
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edwards, TeresaTeresa Edwards |  United States (USA) |
1984–2000 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Leslie, LisaLisa Leslie | United States (USA) |
1996–2008 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Volnov, GennadiGennadi Volnov |  Soviet Union (URS) |
1960–1972 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | Belov, SergeiSergei Belov | Soviet Union (URS) |
1968–1980 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Harrower, KristiKristi Harrower |  Australia (AUS) |
2000–2012 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 5 | Jackson, LaurenLauren Jackson | Australia (AUS) |
2000–2012 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 7 | Swoopes, SherylSheryl Swoopes | United States (USA) |
1996–2004 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Staley, DawnDawn Staley | United States (USA) |
1996–2004 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Smith, KatieKatie Smith | United States (USA) |
2000–2008 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Bird, SueSue Bird | United States (USA) |
2004–2012 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Catchings, TamikaTamika Catchings | United States (USA) |
2004–2012 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Taurasi, DianaDiana Taurasi | United States (USA) |
2004–2012 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 13 | McClain, KatrinaKatrina McClain | United States (USA) |
1988–1996 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | Robinson, DavidDavid Robinson | United States (USA) |
1988–1996 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | Anthony, CarmeloCarmelo Anthony | United States (USA) |
2004–2012 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 13 | James, LeBronLeBron James | United States (USA) |
2004–2012 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 17 | CosicKrešimir Ćosić |  Yugoslavia (YUG) |
1968, 1976–1980 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 18 | Dalipagić, DraženDražen Dalipagić | Yugoslavia (YUG) |
1976–1984 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 18 | ZizicRajko Žižić | Yugoslavia (YUG) |
1976–1984 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 20 | MarciulionisŠarūnas Marčiulionis | Soviet Union (URS) Lithuania (LTU) |
1988 1992–1996 |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 20 | Sabonis, ArvydasArvydas Sabonis | Soviet Union (URS) Lithuania (LTU) |
1988 1992–1996 |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 22 | Valdmanis, MaigonisMaigonis Valdmanis | Soviet Union (URS) |
1952–1960 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 22 | KruminsJānis Krūmiņš | Soviet Union (URS) |
1956–1964 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 22 | MuiznieksValdis Muižnieks | Soviet Union (URS) |
1956–1964 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 25 | Petrović, DraženDražen Petrović | Yugoslavia (YUG) Croatia (CRO) |
1984–1988 1992 |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 25 | Batkovic, SuzySuzy Batkovic | Australia (AUS) |
2004–2012 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 25 | Brondello, SandySandy Brondello | Australia (AUS) |
1996–2004 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 25 | Fallon, TrishaTrisha Fallon | Australia (AUS) |
1996–2004 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 25 | Sporn, RachaelRachael Sporn | Australia (AUS) |
1996–2004 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 25 | Snell, BelindaBelinda Snell | Australia (AUS) |
2004–2012 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 25 | Summerton, LauraLaura Summerton | Australia (AUS) |
2004–2012 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 32 | Einikis, GintarasGintaras Einikis | Lithuania (LTU) |
1992–2000 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Notes
- a The United States have not accepted their medals after a protest about the replays of the game.[1]
References
- General
- "Results database". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- "Basketball: Basketball Men". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- "Basketball: Basketball Women". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- "Olympic Review and Revue Olympique". LA84 Foundation. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- "Hall of Famers Index". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 4, 2012. (Hall of Famers inducted through 2011)
- "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2012" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 2, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012. (Induction class includes Don Barksdale, Katrina McClain, and Reggie Miller, all listed above)
- Specific
- 1 2 "Classic 1972 USA vs. USSR Basketball game". ESPN. August 6, 2004. Retrieved April 13, 2009.
- ↑ "Carter tells U.S. athletes of Olympic boycott". History. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- ↑ Burns, John F. (May 9, 1984). "Moscow Will Keep Its Team From Los Angeles Olympics; Tass Cites Peril, U.S. Denies It; Protests Are Issue". The New York Times. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- ↑ "Federation Rule Change Opens Olympics to N.B.A. Players". The New York Times. April 8, 1989. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
- ↑ "Basketball History". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- ↑ "Records and Medals - Games of the Olympiad" (PDF). International Olympic Committee. January 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
- ↑ Two Lithuanian men who have won three medals, Šarūnas Marčiulionis and Arvydas Sabonis, are not listed in the IOC's printed record book as having won three medals. Both won gold medals with the USSR in 1988 and bronze medals with Lithuania in 1992 and 1996. Sabonis is listed in the IOC's official online database of medalists with all three medals. Marčiulionis is listed under two separate names in the IOC online database. His gold medal in 1988 is listed under "Raimundas", a variant of his actual first name of Raimondas. Both bronze medals are listed under the name "Sarunas", an anglicized form of his best-known given name, which is in fact his middle name.
- ↑ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2010" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 5, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
- ↑ "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2011 - Mullin, Rodman, Gilmore and VanDerveer Headline Distinguished Group" (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 4, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
External links
- Basketball: Men's Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
- Basketball: Women's Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
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