USA basketball

1992–2000

Americans love a grandiose moniker to attach to their sporting heroes but it ’s hard to argue with the Dream Team, the name Sports Illustrated labelled the US basketball side for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Some of the biggest names to ever pull on a singlet played for that team, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley. Basketball's governing body amended their rules before the 1992 Olympics to allow professionals to compete. The 12 selected for Barcelona were largely a who’s who of basketball, but US basketball, in a nod to the past, included one amateur, with Christian Laettner in ahead of Shaquille O’Neal.

Chuck Daly coached the 1992 side but Chuck Norris could have been in charge and they still would have taken gold. They won by an average 44 points and the closest of their eight victories was 117-85 over Canada in the final.

The Dream Team backed up with gold at Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000

Olympic champs 1992 1996 2000

World champs 1994

but, by that time, a number of elite players opted out of playing meaning the dream (team) was largely over.

The US women’s side is also impressive, having won eight straight Olympic titles and established a 66-3 win record (96 per cent) since their first game in 1976.