After a bit of a rocky start, the 2020 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team bounced back and cruised through the rest of the 2020 Olympic men's basketball tournament to take home gold.
The U.S. lost to France in its first group game but then beat Iran (120-66) and the Czech Republic (119-84). The Americans then went on to beat Spain in the quarterfinals (95-81) and Australia in the semifinals (97-78). The U.S. solidified its gold medal run after beating France in a rematch in the gold medal game, 87-82.
The 12-player roster for the 2020 U.S. men's Olympic basketball team in Tokyo featured three former Kentucky Wildcats and a pair of UCLA Bruins in addition to one representative from each of Duke, Michigan State, Nevada, Texas, Texas A&M, Syracuse and Weber State. The team ;was coached by San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. Villanova head coach Jay Wright is an assistant coach on the team.
Below is a complete breakdown of the roster and each player's college career.
| Player | Position | Age | Current team | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bam Adebayo | Center | 23 | Miami Heat | Kentucky |
| Devin Booker | Guard | 24 | Phoenix Suns | Kentucky |
| Kevin Durant | Forward | 32 | Brooklyn Nets | Texas |
| Jerami Grant | Forward | 27 | Detroit Pistons | Syracuse |
| Draymond Green | Forward | 31 | Golden State Warriors | Michigan State |
| Jrue Holiday | Guard | 31 | Milwaukee Bucks | UCLA |
| Keldon Johnson | Guard | 21 | San Antonio Spurs | Kentucky |
| Zach LaVine | Guard | 26 | Chicago Bulls | UCLA |
| Damian Lillard | Guard | 30 | Portland Trail Blazers | Weber State |
| JaVale McGee | Center | 33 | Denver Nuggets | Nevada |
| Khris Middleton | Forward | 29 | Milwaukee Bucks | Texas A&M |
| Jayson Tatum | Forward | 23 | Boston Celtics | Duke |
Kevin Durant
Durant was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. The forward is a two-time NBA champion, nine-time All-NBA Team selection, 11-time NBA All-Star and was the league's MVP in 2014. This is the third time Durant has made the U.S. Olympic roster. He helped the men's team win gold in 2012 and 2016.
The vitals
Records
- First freshman in NCAA history win any National Player of the Year award
- Highest single-season scoring total in Big 12 history: 903 points
- Highest single-season scoring total in Texas history: 903 points
- Highest single-season scoring average in Big 12 conference play: 28.9 points per game
- Highest single-season rebounding average in Big 12 conference play: 12.5 rebounds per game
Awards
- 2007 Wooden Award National Player of the Year
- 2007 Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year
- 2007 AP National Player of the Year
- 2007 NABC National Player of the Year
- 2007 USBWA National Player of the Year
- 2007 Adolph Rupp Trophy National Player of the Year
- 2007 CBS/Chevrolet National Player of the Year
- 2007 ESPN.com National Player of the Year
- 2007 SI.com National Player of the Year
- 2007 Sporting News National Player of the Year
- 2007 USBWA Freshman of the Year
- 2007 Sporting News Freshman of the Year
- 2007 AP First Team All-American
- 2007 USBWA First Team All-American
- 2007 NABC First Team All-American
- 2007 Sporting News First Team All-American
- 2007 Big 12 Player of the Year
- 2007 Big 12 Freshman of the Year
- 2007 All-Big 12 First Team
- 2007 All-Big 12 Defensive Team
- 2007 All-Big 12 Rookie Team
- 2007 Big 12 Tournament MVP
- 2007 All-Big 12 Tournament First Team
Draymond Green
Green was the 35th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. The forward is a three-time NBA champion, two-time All-NBA Team selection, three-time NBA All-Star and was the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. This will be Green's second appearance in the Olympics. He was on the U.S. team that won gold in 2016.
The vitals
Records
- Michigan State's all-time leader in total rebounds: 1,096
Awards
- 2010 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year
- 2010 Midwest All-Regional Team (NCAA tournament)
- 2012 NABC National Player of the Year
- 2012 AP First Team All-American
- 2012 USBWA First Team All-American
- 2012 NABC First Team All-American
- 2012 Sporting News First Team All-American
- 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year
- 2012 All-Big Ten First Team
- 2012 Big Ten All-Defensive Team
- 2012 West All-Regional Team (NCAA tournament)
- 2012 Big Ten Tournament MVP
- 2012 All-Big Ten Tournament First Team
Damian Lillard
Lillard was the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. The guard is a six-time NBA All-Star and a six-time All-NBA Team selection. This will be Lillard's first Olympics.
The vitals
Records
- Weber State's all-time leader in made 3-pointers: 246
- Weber State's all-time leader in made free throws: 520
- Highest career free-throw percentage in Weber State history: 86.7
Awards
- 2010 Big Sky Player of the Year
- 2012 Big Sky Player of the Year
Devin Booker
Booker was the 13th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. The guard is a two-time NBA All-Star. This will be his first appearance on the Olympic stage.
The vitals
Awards
- 2015 SEC Sixth Man of the Year
- 2015 SEC All-Freshman Team
Khris Middleton
Middleton was the 39th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. The forward is a two-time NBA All-Star. This is the first time Middleton has made the U.S. Olympic roster.
The vitals
Awards
- 2011 All-Big 12 Second Team
Jayson Tatum
Tatum was the third pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. The forward is a two-time NBA All-Star and a one-time All-NBA Team selection. This will be Tatum's first appearance on the Olympic stage.
The vitals
Awards
- 2017 All-ACC Third Team
- 2017 All-ACC Freshman Team
- 2017 All-ACC Tournament First Team
Jrue Holiday
Holiday was the 17th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The guard is a one-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-Defensive Team selection. This will be Holiday's first Olympics.
The vitals
Awards
- 2009 All-Pac-10 Freshman Team
Jerami Grant
Grant was the 39th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. This is the first time Grant has made the U.S. Olympic team.
The vitals
Zach LaVine
LaVine was the 13th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. The guard is a one-time NBA All-Star. This will be LaVine's first appearance on the Olympic stage.
The vitals
Records
Awards
- 2014 All-Pac-12 Freshman Team
Bam Adebayo
Adebayo was the 14th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. The center is a one-time NBA All-Star and a two-time All-Defensive Team selection. This will be Adebayo's first Olympics.
The vitals
Awards
- 2017 All-SEC Second Team
- 2017 All-SEC Freshman Team
- 2017 All-SEC Tournament First Team
JaVale McGee
McGee was the 18th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. The center is a three-time NBA champion. This will be McGee's first Olympics.
The vitals
Awards
- Finished Nevada career No. 4 on the school's block list (122)
- Led the WAC in blocks per game (2.8) in the 2007-08 season
- All-WAC second team and All-WAC Defensive Team
Keldon Johnson
Johnson was the 29th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The guard is the sixth player 21 years or younger to be on a U.S. Olympic roster since NBA players were allowed to play in 1992 — and is the first since 2012 (Anthony Davis). This will be Johnson's first Olympics.
The vitals
