This Date in NBA History (Sep. 30): Team USA edge France, win gold medal at 2000 Olympics in Sydney

Author Photo
Team USA at 2000 Olympics

On Sep. 30 in 2000, Team USA defeated France 85-75 in the gold medal game at the Sydney Olympics. 

That gold medal was their 12th in 14 Olympic appearances since they first participated in 1936. The only two times they didn't clinch the gold medal was in 1980, when they boycotted the Olympics in Moscow, and in 1988 when they were upset by the Soviet Union in the semifinals. 

At the Sydney Olympics, Team USA's roster was not as star-studded as the 1992 'Dream Team' but still consisted of a host of NBA players. 

Team USA at 2000 Olympics

Here's the 12-man roster that clinched gold in Sydney: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ray Allen, Vin Baker, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Tim Hardaway, Allan Houston, Jason Kidd, Antonio McDyess, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Steve Smith. 

Of the 12, seven (Kidd, Garnett, Payton, Mourning, Allen, Carter, Houston) were named to the 2000 All-Star squads and five (Garnett, Kidd, Mourning, Payton, Carter) players were part of one of the three All-NBA squads. 

The head coach of the team was two-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets Rudy Tomjanovich with his coaching staff including Larry Brown,  Gene Keady and Tubby Smith. 

The roster went an unbeaten 8-0 in the Games, including winning their five group games by an average margin of 29.2 points. In the knockouts, the results were a lot closer with an 85-70 quarterfinal win over Russia followed by an 85-83 win over Lithuania.

Although, the squad was unbeaten and extended the nation's winning streak at the Olympics to 25 games, there were some close shaves including both their games against Lithuania. Having said that, more often than not, the Sydney Olympics are associated with Vince Carter's incredible dunk over Fredrick Weiss. 

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.

Author(s)