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{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox basketball club season
{{Infobox basketball club season
| club = '''1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team'''
| club = '''1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team'''
| season = '''[[Basketball at the Summer Olympics]]'''
| season =
| image =
| image =
| image_size =
| image_size =
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}}
}}


The '''1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team''' competed in the [[Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Summer Olympics]] in [[Los Angeles]], representing the [[United States]]. The [[United States men's national basketball team|USA's senior men's team]], was led by coach [[Bob Knight]], who was also the head coach of the [[Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball|Indiana Hoosiers]] at the time. The team won the tournament's gold medal. It was the last [[amateur sports|amateur level]] U.S.A. team to win an Olympic gold medal in [[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|men's basketball]]. The team was considered to be one of the strongest in U.S.A.'s history to that time, as it featured four of the five [[1984 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1984 consensus first team All-Americans]], in [[Michael Jordan]], [[Patrick Ewing]], [[Wayman Tisdale]], and [[Sam Perkins]].<ref name=HOOPS/>
The '''1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team''' competed in the [[Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Summer Olympics]] in [[Los Angeles]], representing the [[United States]]. The [[United States men's national basketball team|USA's senior men's team]] was led by coach [[Bob Knight]], who was also the head coach of the [[Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball|Indiana Hoosiers]] at the time. The team won the tournament's gold medal. It was the last [[Amateur sports|amateur-level]] U.S. team to win an Olympic gold medal in [[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|men's basketball]]. The team was considered to be one of the strongest in the U.S.A.'s history at that time, as it featured four of the five [[1984 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1984 consensus first team All-Americans]], in [[Michael Jordan]], [[Patrick Ewing]], [[Wayman Tisdale]], and [[Sam Perkins]].<ref name=HOOPS/>


Due to the [[1984 Summer Olympics boycott|1984 Summer Olympic Games boycott]], which was led by the [[Soviet Union]] and involved 14 [[Eastern Bloc]] countries and allies, the [[Soviet Union national basketball team|Soviet Union national team]] and the [[Hungary national basketball team|Hungarian national team]] withdrew from the tournament. However, the [[Basketball at the 1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Summer Olympic Games]] gold medalists, [[Yugoslavia national basketball team|Yugoslavia]], defied the boycott to play at the tournament, and ultimately won the bronze medal.
Due to the [[1984 Summer Olympics boycott|1984 Summer Olympic Games boycott]], which was led by the [[Soviet Union]] and involved 14 [[Eastern Bloc]] countries and [[satellite state]]s, the [[Soviet Union national basketball team|Soviet Union national team]] and the [[Hungary national basketball team|Hungarian national team]] withdrew from the tournament. However, the [[Basketball at the 1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Summer Olympic Games]] gold medalists, [[Yugoslavia national basketball team|Yugoslavia]], defied the boycott to play at the tournament, and ultimately won the bronze medal.


== Roster ==
==Roster==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
|-
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| 163
| 163
| 19
| 19
| [[New Castle, Indiana|New Castle, IN]]
| [[New Castle, Indiana]]
| [[Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball|Indiana]]
| [[Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball|Indiana]]
|-
|-
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| 248
| 248
| 21
| 21
| [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge, MA]]
| [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]
| [[Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball|Georgetown]]
| [[Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball|Georgetown]]
|-
|-
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| 6'5"
| 6'5"
| 184
| 184
| 23
| 22
| [[Queens, New York]]
| [[Long Island City, Queens|Long Island City, NY]]
| [[Georgia Bulldogs basketball|Georgia]]
| [[Georgia Bulldogs basketball|Georgia]]
|-
|-
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| 199
| 199
| 21
| 21
| [[Wilmington, North Carolina|Wilmington, NC]]
| [[Wilmington, North Carolina]]
| [[North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball|North Carolina]]
| [[North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball|North Carolina]]
|-
|-
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| 269
| 269
| 22
| 22
| [[Slater, Missouri|Slater, MO]]
| [[Slater, Missouri]]
| [[Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball|Arkansas]]
| [[Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball|Arkansas]]
|-
|-
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| 250
| 250
| 21
| 21
| [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City, MO]]
| [[Kansas City, Missouri]]
| [[SMU Mustangs men's basketball|Southern Methodist]]
| [[SMU Mustangs men's basketball|Southern Methodist]]
|-
|-
| [[Chris Mullin (basketball)|Chris Mullin]]
| [[Chris Mullin]]
| Guard
| Guard
| 6'6"
| 6'6"
| 211
| 211
| 20
| 20
| [[Brooklyn|Brooklyn, NY]]
| [[Brooklyn|Brooklyn, New York]]
| [[St. John's Red Storm men's basketball|St. John's]]
| [[St. John's Red Storm men's basketball|St. John's]]
|-
|-
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| 233
| 233
| 23
| 23
| [[Latham, New York|Latham, NY]]
| [[Latham, New York]]
| [[North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball|North Carolina]]
| [[North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball|North Carolina]]
|-
|-
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| 193
| 193
| 21
| 21
| [[Barberton, Ohio|Barberton, OH]]
| [[Barberton, Ohio]]
| [[Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball|Arkansas]]
| [[Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball|Arkansas]]
|-
|-
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| 259
| 259
| 20
| 20
| [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa, OK]]
| [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]]
| [[Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball|Oklahoma]]
| [[Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball|Oklahoma]]
|-
|-
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| 229
| 229
| 22
| 22
| [[Brandon, Florida|Brandon, FL]]
| [[Brandon, Florida]]
| [[Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball|Vanderbilt]]
| [[Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball|Vanderbilt]]
|-
|-
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| 190
| 190
| 22
| 22
| [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica, CA]]
| [[Santa Monica, California]]
| [[Cal State Fullerton Titans men's basketball|Cal State Fullerton]]
| [[Cal State Fullerton Titans men's basketball|Cal State Fullerton]]
|-
|-
|}
|}


== Olympic trials ==
==Olympic trials==
⚫
Trials for the team were held in April 1984 at Knight's regular base of operations at Indiana's campus in [[Bloomington, Indiana|Bloomington]]. Seventy players attended the trials. [[1983–84 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team|Kentucky]] post players [[Sam Bowie]] and [[Melvin Turpin]] chose to skip the trials, in order to concentrate on the upcoming [[1984 NBA draft]],<ref>{{cite web| title =Bowie, Turpin to Skip | publisher =TheDaily Times| date =April 14, 1984| url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bKpeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=F1MNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2391,1114495&dq=melvin+turpin+olympic&hl=en | access-date = August 18, 2012}}</ref> and [[Keith Lee (basketball)|Keith Lee]] of [[Memphis Tigers men's basketball|Memphis State]], [[Len Bias]] of [[1983–84 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team|Maryland]] and [[Kenny Smith]] of [[1983–84 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team|North Carolina]], ultimately pulled out as well.<ref>{{cite web| title =Olympic Cage Quest | publisher =TheDaily Times| date =April 14, 1984| url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uRhZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ckYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4513,4868387&dq=kenny+smith+olympic&hl=en | access-date = August 18, 2012}}</ref> Knight led the trials with assistant coaches [[George Raveling]], [[Don Donoher]] and [[C. M. Newton]], whittling the prospects down to twenty, by the end of the first week of the trials.<ref name=HOOPS>{{cite book|last=Cunningham |first=Carson |year=2009 |title=American Hoops: U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball From Berlin to Beijing|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|isbn=978-0-8032-2293-9}}</ref><ref name=stmoc>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19840423&id=yxhXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8e4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6549,4369733 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |last=Blanchette |first=John |title=Stockton makes Olympic cut |date=April 24, 1984 |page=C1}}</ref>


During the trials, [[1983–84 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]] junior [[Charles Barkley]] impressed with his performance – most observers felt he and North Carolina shooting guard [[Michael Jordan]] were the two top performers. However, Barkley's and Knight's strong personalities did not mesh, and Barkley was one of the last cuts from the roster.<ref name=BONDY>{{cite book|last=Bondy |first=Filip |year=2007 |title=Tip-Off: How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever|publisher=DaCapo Press|isbn=978-0-306-81486-0}}</ref> Released along with Barkley, in the penultimate cut from 20 to 16 players in May, were [[John Stockton]] of [[1983–84 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team|Gonzaga]], [[Terry Porter]] of [[University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point|Wisconsin-Stevens Point]], and [[Maurice Martin]] of [[Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball|Saint Joseph's]].<ref name=bsiofs>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H1hWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9u4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6603%2C8983107 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington)|last=Blanchette|title=Basketball school is over for Stockton |date=May 14, 1984 |page=13}}</ref><ref name=bwgfg>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fJUpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tccEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2676%2C3604837 |work=Times Daily |location=(Florence, Alabama) |agency=staff, wire reports |title=Barkley won't go for gold |date=May 14, 1984 |page=5B}}</ref>
⚫
Trials for the team were held in April 1984, on the campus of [[Indiana University]], in [[Bloomington, Indiana]]. Seventy players attended the trials. [[Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball|Kentucky]] post players [[Sam Bowie]] and [[Melvin Turpin]] chose to skip the trials, in order to concentrate on the upcoming [[1984 NBA Draft]],<ref>{{cite web| last =| first =| title =Bowie, Turpin to Skip | publisher =''TheDaily Times''| date =April 14, 1984| url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bKpeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=F1MNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2391,1114495&dq=melvin+turpin+olympic&hl=en | accessdate = August 18, 2012}}</ref> and [[Keith Lee (basketball)|Keith Lee]] of [[Memphis Tigers men's basketball|Memphis State]], [[Len Bias]] of [[Maryland Terrapins men's basketball|Maryland]] and [[Kenny Smith]] of [[North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball|North Carolina]], ultimately pulled out as well.<ref>{{cite web| last =| first =| title =Olympic Cage Quest | publisher =''TheDaily Times''| date =April 14, 1984| url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uRhZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ckYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4513,4868387&dq=kenny+smith+olympic&hl=en | accessdate = August 18, 2012}}</ref> Knight led the trials with assistant coaches [[George Raveling]], [[Don Donoher]] and [[C. M. Newton]], whittling the prospects down to twenty, by the end of the first week of the trilas.<ref name=HOOPS>{{cite book|last=Cunningham |first=Carson |year=2009 |title=American Hoops: U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball From Berlin to Beijing|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|isbn=978-0-8032-2293-9}}</ref><ref name=stmoc>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19840423&id=yxhXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8e4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6549,4369733 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |last=Blanchette |first=John |title=Stockton makes Olympic cut |date=April 24, 1984 |page=C1}}</ref>


During the trials, [[Auburn Tigers men's basketball|Auburn]] junior [[Charles Barkley]] impressed with his performance - most observers felt he and North Carolina shooting guard [[Michael Jordan]] were the two top performers. However, Barkley's and Knight's strong personalities did not mesh, and Barkley was one of the last cuts from the roster.<ref name=BONDY>{{cite book|last=Bondy |first=Filip |year=2007 |title=Tip-Off: How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever|publisher=DaCapo Press|isbn=978-0-306-81486-0}}</ref> Released along with Barkley, in the penultimate cut from 20 to 16 players in May, were [[John Stockton]], [[Terry Porter]], and [[Maurice Martin]].<ref name=bsiofs>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H1hWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9u4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6603%2C8983107 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |last=Blanchette|title=Basketball school is over for Stockton |date=May 14, 1984 |page=13 }}</ref> Knight's final cut to twelve players came in June, and the final four let go were [[Tim McCormick]], [[Lancaster Gordon]], [[Johnny Dawkins]], and [[Chuck Person]] (Dawkins and Person served as alternates for the team).<ref>{{cite web| last =| first =| title =Knight Makes Up His Mind Early, Announces Olympic Cage Squad | publisher =''TheDaily Times''| date =June 28, 1984| url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4c8pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s8kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1422,6931392&dq=johnny+dawkins+chuck+person+olympics&hl=en | accessdate = August 18, 2012}}</ref> The most controversial selection was Knight's own player, [[Steve Alford]], who at 19, was the team's youngest player and who most did not expect to make the team.<ref name=HOOPS/>
Knight's final cut to twelve players came in June, and the final four let go were [[Tim McCormick]] of Michigan, [[Lancaster Gordon]] of Louisville, [[Johnny Dawkins]] of Duke and Barkley's Auburn teammate [[Chuck Person]] (Dawkins and Person served as alternates for the team).<ref>{{cite web| title =Knight Makes Up His Mind Early, Announces Olympic Cage Squad | publisher =TheDaily Times| date =June 28, 1984| url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4c8pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s8kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1422,6931392&dq=johnny+dawkins+chuck+person+olympics&hl=en | access-date = August 18, 2012}}</ref> The most controversial selection was Knight's own Indiana player, [[Steve Alford]], who was the team's youngest member at 19 and not expected by most to make the team.<ref name=HOOPS/>


Prior to the Olympics, the team played eight games against NBA All-Star teams including [[Larry Bird]], [[Magic Johnson]], [[Kevin McHale (basketball)|Kevin McHale]], [[Robert Parish]], [[Isiah Thomas]] and [[Mark Aguirre]] and won all eight. NBA players played in their offseason.<ref>[https://vault.si.com/vault/1984/07/23/hooray-for-the-red-white-black-and-blue ''HOORAY FOR THE RED, WHITE, BLACK AND BLUE!'' by Curry Kirkpatrick] ''[[Sports Illustrated]]''</ref><ref>[https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/team-usa-basketball-world-cup-1984-olympics-michael-jordan-bob-knight/9nvwt5a6fewk1k2smvugtdwpe ''Remembering Michael Jordan and the 1984 Olympic trials'' by Sean Deveney] ''[[The Sporting News]]''</ref><ref>[https://www.theherdnow.com/video-michael-jordan-lit-up-an-nba-all-star-team-in-a-pre-1984-olympic-exhibition-win/ ''VIDEO: Michael Jordan lit up an NBA All-Star team in a pre-1984 Olympic exhibition win'' by Michael Hulse] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606200647/https://www.theherdnow.com/video-michael-jordan-lit-up-an-nba-all-star-team-in-a-pre-1984-olympic-exhibition-win/ |date=2020-06-06 }} ''[[The Herd with Colin Cowherd]]''</ref>
⚫
== Olympic tournament ==

⚫
==Olympic tournament==
{{see also|Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics}}
{{see also|Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics}}
⚫
The team went 8–0 in the Olympic tournament, averaging 95.4 points per game, and holding their opponents to 63.3. Four players averaged double-figures in scoring: Michael Jordan (17.1), [[Chris Mullin (basketball)|Chris Mullin]] (11.6), [[Patrick Ewing]] (11.0) and Steve Alford (10.3). [[Wayman Tisdale]] led the team in rebounding (5.9 per game),<ref>[https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/93474/sid/2941/tid/379/_/1984_Olympic_Games_Tournament_for_Men/index.html USA 12 - Wayman Tisdale.]</ref> while [[Leon Wood]] led the team in assists (7.9 per game).<ref name=USABB/>

⚫
The team went 8–0 in the Olympic tournament, averaging 95.4 points per game, and holding their opponents to 63.3. Four players averaged double-figures in scoring: Michael Jordan (17.1), [[Chris Mullin (basketball)|Chris Mullin]] (11.6), [[Patrick Ewing]] (11.0) and Steve Alford (10.3). [[Wayman Tisdale]] led the team in rebounding (5.9 per game),<ref>[http://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/93474/sid/2941/tid/379/_/1984_Olympic_Games_Tournament_for_Men/index.html USA 12 - Wayman Tisdale.]</ref> while [[Leon Wood]] led the team in assists (7.9 per game).<ref name=USABB/>


===Results===
===Results===
*[[United States men's national basketball team|USA]] 97, [[China men's national basketball team|China]] 49
*[[United States men's national basketball team|USA]] 97, [[China men's national basketball team|China]] 49
*USA 89, [[Canada national basketball team|Canada]] 68
*USA 89, [[Canada men's national basketball team|Canada]] 68
*USA 104, [[Uruguay national basketball team|Uruguay]] 68
*USA 104, [[Uruguay national basketball team|Uruguay]] 68
*USA 120, [[France national basketball team|France]] 62
*USA 120, [[France national basketball team|France]] 62
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*USA 96, Spain 65
*USA 96, Spain 65


== Legacy ==
==Legacy==
⚫
The [[Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Summer Olympics]] was a coming-out party for [[Michael Jordan]], who led Team USA in scoring and dazzled the worldwide viewing audience with his athleticism and speed, including during the sweep of the NBA All-Stars before the Olympics. In addition to Jordan, the team featured two other future [[List of members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame members]] in [[Patrick Ewing]] and [[Chris Mullin]] (both of whom would later reunite with Jordan, as a part of the [[1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team|1992 Dream Team]]). Jordan recalled that while this Olympic experience was exciting, it had also been trying because of Knight: "I don't know if I would have done it if I knew what Knight was going to be like."<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Sam|title=The Jordan Rules|page=[https://archive.org/details/jordanrules00smit/page/207 207]|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=1993|url=https://archive.org/details/jordanrules00smit|url-access=registration|quote=bobby knight the jordan rules olympics.|isbn=9780671796662|access-date=March 27, 2015}}</ref>

⚫
The [[Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Summer Olympics]] was a coming-out party for [[Michael Jordan]], who led the U. S. team in scoring and dazzled the worldwide viewing audience with his athleticism and speed. In addition to Jordan, the team featured two other future [[List of members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame members]] in [[Patrick Ewing]] and [[Chris Mullin]] (both of whom would later reunite with Jordan, as a part of the [[1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team|1992 Dream Team]]). Jordan recalled that while this Olympic experience was exciting, it had also been trying because of Knight: "I don't know if I would have done it if I knew what Knight was going to be like."<ref>{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Sam|title=The Jordan Rules|page=207|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=1993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zilYagKLBM0C&pg=PA207&lpg=PA207&dq=bobby+knight+%22the+jordan+rules%22+olympics&source=bl&ots=hTBvyOY_9e&sig=yHYFpZ0RmX6H9njLPnSHTsHzJTI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=d5jiUKTmCo-w0QGyroCIBQ&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=bobby%20knight%20%22the%20jordan%20rules%22%20olympics&f=false|isbn=9780671796662|accessdate=March 27, 2015}}</ref>


The Olympics and trials helped the draft stock of several players. [[Vern Fleming]] and [[Jeff Turner]] parlayed their Olympic exposure into first-round spots in the [[1984 NBA draft]], while several players that were cut from the team, either received strong recommendations from Knight (future Hall of Fame member [[John Stockton]] and [[Tim McCormick]]), or benefited from exposure from the trials ([[Charles Barkley]] and [[Lancaster Gordon]]).<ref name=BONDY/>
The Olympics and trials helped the draft stock of several players. [[Vern Fleming]] and [[Jeff Turner]] parlayed their Olympic exposure into first-round spots in the [[1984 NBA draft]], while several players that were cut from the team, either received strong recommendations from Knight (future Hall of Fame member [[John Stockton]] and [[Tim McCormick]]), or benefited from exposure from the trials ([[Charles Barkley]] and [[Lancaster Gordon]]).<ref name=BONDY/>
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{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist|2}}


== External links ==
==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100716093231/http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/national/moly_1984.html Team profile at USA Basketball official site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100716093231/http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/national/moly_1984.html Team profile at USA Basketball official site]


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{{Summer Olympics basketball tournament winners}}
{{Summer Olympics basketball tournament winners}}


[[Category:United States at the Olympic Men's Basketball Tournament]]
[[Category:United States at the Olympic men's basketball tournament]]
[[Category:Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics|United States]]
[[Category:Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics|United States]]
[[Category:1984–85 in American basketball|Olympics]]
[[Category:1984–85 in American basketball|Olympics]]

Latest revision as of 14:14, 8 July 2024

1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team
Head coachBob Knight
1984 Summer Olympics
Scoring leaderUnited States Michael Jordan
17.1
Rebounding leaderUnited States Wayman Tisdale
5.9
Assists leaderUnited States Leon Wood
7.9
← 1976
1988 →

The 1984 United States men's Olympic basketball team competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, representing the United States. The USA's senior men's team was led by coach Bob Knight, who was also the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers at the time. The team won the tournament's gold medal. It was the last amateur-level U.S. team to win an Olympic gold medal in men's basketball. The team was considered to be one of the strongest in the U.S.A.'s history at that time, as it featured four of the five 1984 consensus first team All-Americans, in Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Wayman Tisdale, and Sam Perkins.[1]

Due to the 1984 Summer Olympic Games boycott, which was led by the Soviet Union and involved 14 Eastern Bloc countries and satellite states, the Soviet Union national team and the Hungarian national team withdrew from the tournament. However, the 1980 Summer Olympic Games gold medalists, Yugoslavia, defied the boycott to play at the tournament, and ultimately won the bronze medal.

Roster

[edit]
Name [2] Position Height Weight Age Home Town Team/School
Steve Alford Guard 6'1" 163 19 New Castle, Indiana Indiana
Patrick Ewing Center 7'0" 248 21 Cambridge, Massachusetts Georgetown
Vern Fleming Guard 6'5" 184 22 Queens, New York Georgia
Michael Jordan Guard 6'6" 199 21 Wilmington, North Carolina North Carolina
Joe Kleine Forward 6'11" 269 22 Slater, Missouri Arkansas
Jon Koncak Center 7'0" 250 21 Kansas City, Missouri Southern Methodist
Chris Mullin Guard 6'6" 211 20 Brooklyn, New York St. John's
Sam Perkins Forward 6'9" 233 23 Latham, New York North Carolina
Alvin Robertson Guard 6'4" 193 21 Barberton, Ohio Arkansas
Wayman Tisdale Forward 6'9" 259 20 Tulsa, Oklahoma Oklahoma
Jeff Turner Forward 6'9" 229 22 Brandon, Florida Vanderbilt
Leon Wood Guard 6'3" 190 22 Santa Monica, California Cal State Fullerton

Olympic trials

[edit]

Trials for the team were held in April 1984 at Knight's regular base of operations at Indiana's campus in Bloomington. Seventy players attended the trials. Kentucky post players Sam Bowie and Melvin Turpin chose to skip the trials, in order to concentrate on the upcoming 1984 NBA draft,[3] and Keith Lee of Memphis State, Len Bias of Maryland and Kenny Smith of North Carolina, ultimately pulled out as well.[4] Knight led the trials with assistant coaches George Raveling, Don Donoher and C. M. Newton, whittling the prospects down to twenty, by the end of the first week of the trials.[1][5]

During the trials, Auburn junior Charles Barkley impressed with his performance – most observers felt he and North Carolina shooting guard Michael Jordan were the two top performers. However, Barkley's and Knight's strong personalities did not mesh, and Barkley was one of the last cuts from the roster.[6] Released along with Barkley, in the penultimate cut from 20 to 16 players in May, were John Stockton of Gonzaga, Terry Porter of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and Maurice Martin of Saint Joseph's.[7][8]

Knight's final cut to twelve players came in June, and the final four let go were Tim McCormick of Michigan, Lancaster Gordon of Louisville, Johnny Dawkins of Duke and Barkley's Auburn teammate Chuck Person (Dawkins and Person served as alternates for the team).[9] The most controversial selection was Knight's own Indiana player, Steve Alford, who was the team's youngest member at 19 and not expected by most to make the team.[1]

Prior to the Olympics, the team played eight games against NBA All-Star teams including Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Isiah Thomas and Mark Aguirre and won all eight. NBA players played in their offseason.[10][11][12]

Olympic tournament

[edit]
See also: Basketball at the 1984 Summer Olympics

The team went 8–0 in the Olympic tournament, averaging 95.4 points per game, and holding their opponents to 63.3. Four players averaged double-figures in scoring: Michael Jordan (17.1), Chris Mullin (11.6), Patrick Ewing (11.0) and Steve Alford (10.3). Wayman Tisdale led the team in rebounding (5.9 per game),[13] while Leon Wood led the team in assists (7.9 per game).[2]

Results

[edit]

Legacy

[edit]

The 1984 Summer Olympics was a coming-out party for Michael Jordan, who led Team USA in scoring and dazzled the worldwide viewing audience with his athleticism and speed, including during the sweep of the NBA All-Stars before the Olympics. In addition to Jordan, the team featured two other future Hall of Fame members in Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin (both of whom would later reunite with Jordan, as a part of the 1992 Dream Team). Jordan recalled that while this Olympic experience was exciting, it had also been trying because of Knight: "I don't know if I would have done it if I knew what Knight was going to be like."[14]

The Olympics and trials helped the draft stock of several players. Vern Fleming and Jeff Turner parlayed their Olympic exposure into first-round spots in the 1984 NBA draft, while several players that were cut from the team, either received strong recommendations from Knight (future Hall of Fame member John Stockton and Tim McCormick), or benefited from exposure from the trials (Charles Barkley and Lancaster Gordon).[6]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Cunningham, Carson (2009). American Hoops: U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball From Berlin to Beijing. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-2293-9.
  2. ^ a b "1984 USA Men's Olympic Games Roster & Results Archived 2010-07-16 at the Wayback Machine." usabasketball.com. Retrieved on August 18, 2012.
  3. ^ "Bowie, Turpin to Skip". TheDaily Times. April 14, 1984. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  4. ^ "Olympic Cage Quest". TheDaily Times. April 14, 1984. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  5. ^ Blanchette, John (April 24, 1984). "Stockton makes Olympic cut". Spokesman-Review. p. C1.
  6. ^ a b Bondy, Filip (2007). Tip-Off: How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever. DaCapo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-81486-0.
  7. ^ Blanchette (May 14, 1984). "Basketball school is over for Stockton". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 13.
  8. ^ "Barkley won't go for gold". Times Daily. (Florence, Alabama). staff, wire reports. May 14, 1984. p. 5B.
  9. ^ "Knight Makes Up His Mind Early, Announces Olympic Cage Squad". TheDaily Times. June 28, 1984. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  10. ^ HOORAY FOR THE RED, WHITE, BLACK AND BLUE! by Curry Kirkpatrick Sports Illustrated
  11. ^ Remembering Michael Jordan and the 1984 Olympic trials by Sean Deveney The Sporting News
  12. ^ VIDEO: Michael Jordan lit up an NBA All-Star team in a pre-1984 Olympic exhibition win by Michael Hulse Archived 2020-06-06 at the Wayback Machine The Herd with Colin Cowherd
  13. ^ USA 12 - Wayman Tisdale.
  14. ^ Smith, Sam (1993). The Jordan Rules. Simon and Schuster. p. 207. ISBN 9780671796662. Retrieved March 27, 2015. bobby knight the jordan rules olympics.
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