5 Best USA Men’s Basketball Teams, Ranked

Team USA Basketball consistently boasts high basketball odds in Olympics betting every four years, with 16 gold medals on the men’s side heading into the 2024 Paris Games to speak for its success.

Stars such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant have been heavily favoured to win various awards at the BetMGM online sportsbook throughout their respective careers. They’ve also proudly represented the red, white, and blue on the world’s biggest stage.

Let’s take a look at the best Team USA Basketball rosters of all time.

5 Best USA Men’s Basketball Teams, Ranked

1. 1992 Olympics

Coached by Chuck Daly, this is arguably the most star-studded basketball roster ever assembled, hence the nickname “The Dream Team.”

Each player on this team eventually made the Hall of Fame, and 10 of the 12 players were also named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team. Additionally, the team included eight of the top 50 scorers of all time.

The Americans won every game by an average margin of 43.8 points and no less than 32 during their time in Barcelona. They were obliterating their opponents so much that Daly never had to call a timeout in any of the eight games.

Dream Team continued their Olympic dominance by beating Germany 111-68! (1992) pic.twitter.com/MnTSa9ubYi

— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) July 12, 2024

Charles Barkley averaged 18 points per game, leading Team USA in scoring. He also averaged 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 steals, and 2.4 assists. 

Michael Jordan averaged 14.9 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.1 steals per game.

2. 2008 Olympics

Coached by Mike Krzyzewski, this group was dubbed “The Redeem Team” since they successfully brought gold back to the United States. After finishing with a bronze medal in 2004, this team won every game by an average margin of 27.9 points in Beijing. 

The average age of this group was 26, making it the youngest U.S. group to win a gold medal.

This was the first Olympics Kobe Bryant participated in, and he helped set a standard of excellence by being the first one in the gym at 5:00 a.m., emphasizing the importance of defence, and doing all the dirty work. In turn, the perception of him as a selfish teammate started to vanish.

Dwyane Wade led the team in scoring off the bench, averaging 16 points per game.

LeBron James averaged 15.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.4 steals, and one block. Bryant averaged 15 points.

3. 2012 Olympics

Coached by Krzyzewski, the U.S. brought home gold for a second straight time after winning every game by an average margin of 32.1 points in London.

Kevin Durant led the team in scoring, averaging 19.5 points per contest while scoring a tournament-record 156 total points. He also has the most total points in program history.

Carmelo Anthony averaged 16.3 points. James averaged 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.4 steals. Bryant averaged 12.1 points.

4. 1996 Olympics

Coached by Lenny Wilkins, this team won every game by an average margin of 31.8 points in Atlanta.

Barkley led the team in scoring, averaging 12.4 points per game. He also averaged 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

David Robinson averaged 12.0 points. Reggie Miller averaged 11.4 points. Scottie Pippen averaged 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.

5. 2024 Olympics

Coached by Steve Kerr, the sheer talent on this team constitutes one of the best basketball teams ever assembled.

Even Canadians were happy watching a Steph → LeBron alley oop pic.twitter.com/EoStWGeLPo

— BetMGM Canada (@BetMGMCanada) July 11, 2024

Any team featuring LeBron James and Stephen Curry is going to be dangerous as it is, but the amount of versatility on both sides of the floor and shot-creators this team possesses gives this unit a ton of flexibility at any given moment.