The 2004 Athens Olympics is the biggest stain on the US Men’s Basketball Team’s legacy. A team full of NBA superstars returned home with the bronze medal, an embarrassing result by their lofty standards. Many pointed fingers at 19-year-old LeBron James, Allen Iverson, and Tim Duncan for the team’s failure. But in Amar’e Stoudemire’s books, head coach Larry Brown was the main culprit.
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On The OGs podcast, host Udonis Haslem asked the former Knicks star why the team lost to heavy underdogs Argentina in the semifinal. Stoudemire, without hesitation, responded “Larry Brown.” He then elaborated,
“I didn’t understand the coaching philosophy, I didn’t understand what was going on. Because you had players like myself, Carmelo, D-Wade, and LeBron on the bench. Larry Brown didn’t believe in playing younger players, so we got no playing time.”
In the eight games that Team USA played at the tournament, LeBron, Stoudemire, and Carmelo Anthony averaged about 24 minutes combined. Dwyane Wade played 17.6 minutes per game, fewer than Richard Jefferson, who averaged 18.5, which the Heat star wasn’t pleased about.
Haslem revealed that Wade had voiced his frustration to him about veterans like Jefferson, Stephon Marbury, and Shawn Marion playing significantly more than the team’s young stars. It led to a disappointing third-place finish but gave Team USA a much-needed reality check.
Team USA’s poor 2004 Olympic showing paved the way for future dominance
Following the debacle in Athens, Team USA summoned legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski to take over the mantle of restoring the nation’s glory in 2008. Coach K was handed a superteam that featured Wade, LeBron, Anthony, and Carlos Boozer. The quartet were the four surviving members of the bronze-medal-winning roster from 2004.
But the veteran coach wasn’t done. He wanted a veteran superstar to lead the young roster. So he reached out to Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, who gladly accepted the call-up. Team USA ran riot in Beijing and returned home with gold.
They haven’t failed to win the basketball tournament at the Olympics since 2004. They have won the event five straight times and remain the final boss of basketball. But the gulf in talent between the USA and other countries isn’t as wide as it used to be.
At the Paris Olympics earlier this year, Serbia and France almost knocked off the strongest Team USA roster since the Dream Team. The US survived but it was a warning that the world is coming for their throne.
