It is the most successful men's team in international competition, winning medals in all twenty Olympic tournaments it has entered, including seventeen golds.

Traditionally composed of amateur players, the US dominated the first decades of international basketball, winning a record seven consecutive Olympic gold medals.

The US won its first seven games at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan before losing against Greece in the semi-finals; ending the competition with the bronze medal.

This success was followed up at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, where despite fielding a roster featuring no players from the 2008 Olympic team, the US did not lose a single game en route to defeating host Turkey for the gold medal.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, the team, led by Mike Krzyzewski for a record third time, won its 15th gold medal, making him the most decorated coach in USA Basketball history.

[12] The US men were dominant from the first Olympic tournament to hold basketball, held in Berlin in 1936, going 5–0 to win the gold, and joined by continental neighbors Canada and Mexico on the medal platform.

Through the next six tournaments, the United States went undefeated, collecting gold while not losing a single contest in the games held in London, Helsinki, Melbourne, Rome, Tokyo, and Mexico City.

The 1952 team included big man Clyde Lovellette of the University of Kansas, a future Hall of Famer and NBA star.

The 1956 team was led by San Francisco Dons teammates Bill Russell and K. C. Jones, and defeated its opponents by an unsurpassed average margin of 53.5 points per game.

This team featured: Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman, Sam Bowie, Michael Brooks, Bill Hanzlik, Alton Lister, Rodney McCray, Isiah Thomas, Darnell Valentine, Danny Vranes, Buck Williams and Al Wood.

[26] The 1988 US team had a roster of collegians aged 20–23 that included future NBA all-stars David Robinson, Danny Manning, and Mitch Richmond.

The decades-long use of "shamateurs" by the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and other international teams prompted FIBA to modify[7][8] its rules and allow NBA players in the 1992 Olympics and beyond.

As expected, the US team ran away with the gold metal; they were so much better than the competition that head coach Chuck Daly did not call a single timeout during the tournament.

[30] Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen became the first players to win both NBA championship and Olympic gold medal in the same year, having played for the Chicago Bulls.

[37] The replacement team was composed largely of players from American colleges, the minor-league Continental Basketball Association, or European pro leagues.

Two games later, in a 106–94 victory over France, Vince Carter pulled off one of the most famous dunks in basketball history, jumping over the 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) French center Frédéric Weis on his way to the basket.

Lithuanian star (and future NBA player, first with the Indiana Pacers and later with the Golden State Warriors) Šarūnas Jasikevičius failed to get a potential game-winning 3-point shot off in time.

Only Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson were part of the 2003 FIBA Americas San Juan gold medal team.

Even after an 89–53 win over Angola, the Americans entered the knockout rounds in fourth place due to goal average, the lowest seed of their group.

While some prominent players, such as Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, stated that they did not plan to play for the team, superstars Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James publicly announced their commitment for the 2006 Worlds and the ensuing 2008 Olympics.

[46] On August 24, the United States defeated Spain 118–107 to capture the Olympic gold medal with the electrifying spark by Team USA leading scorer Dwyane Wade adding 27 points with four 3-point shots and 100% shooting inside the line.

[47] However, by early July 2010, all ten invited players declined to participate, due to injury, free agency, rest, or personal commitments.

Combined with their 2010 World Championship along with gold by their 2008 and 2012 Olympic teams, they also became the first country in FIBA basketball history to win four consecutive major titles.

Multiple withdrawals (largely triggered by a freak injury to Paul George in a pre-2014 World Cup scrimmage) left the 2016 US team with just two players with prior Olympic experience (Durant and Anthony).

Led by top scorers Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and Devin Booker, the team was able to dominate the tournament and defeat France in the final, despite losing to them early on in the group stage.

After 2023's fourth-place result at the FIBA World Cup, Hill and Kerr set out to convince more experienced players to play in the 2024 Summer Olympics.

[64] Once in the quarterfinals, the U.S. would convincingly defeat Brazil 122–87, with Booker leading the Americans with a team-high 18 points,[65] before moving onto a second rematch vs Serbia in the semifinals.

In 1992, the US team was represented by the NBA players for the first time and defeated its opponents by an average of 44 points en route to the gold medal against Croatia.

The United States has played competitive games against 57 current and former national teams, with the latest result, a win, coming against France on August 10, 2024, in the 2024 Olympics.

Unlike their seasoned and veteran counterparts from Europe, US players usually participated in a single Olympics (with Bob Kurland, Bill Hougland, and Burdette Haldorson being lone exceptions) and after winning a medal turned pro.