The 1972 United States men's Olympic basketball team represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. Led by Tom Henderson and Dwight Jones, the team would go on to win the silver medal. In the final game of the Olympics, Team USA controversially lost for the first time in Summer Olympic Games competition, and ended their 63-game winning streak (the streak began in the 1936 Summer Olympics). The Soviet team that defeated the Americans featured international veterans, who had been playing together for years in their domestic pro league and international tournaments, while the American team was barred from sending NBA players, and used collegians instead.[1][2][3][4] The team members have never accepted their medals, due to the controversy surrounding the 1972 Olympic men's basketball final.
| Head coach | Hank Iba |
|---|---|
| 1972 Summer Olympics |  |
| Scoring leader |  Tom Henderson / Dwight Jones 9.2 |
| Rebounding leader | Dwight Jones 5.7 |
Roster
edit| Name[5] | Position | Height | Weight | Age | Team/School | Home Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Bantom | F | 6'8" | 205 | 20 | St. Joseph's University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Jim Brewer | F/C | 6'9" | 220 | 20 | University of Minnesota | Maywood, Illinois |
| Tommy Burleson | C | 7'2" | 225 | 20 | North Carolina State University | Newland, North Carolina |
| Doug Collins | G | 6'6" | 180 | 21 | Illinois State University | Benton, Illinois |
| Kenny Davis | G | 6'1" | 180 | 23 | Georgetown College | Monticello, Kentucky |
| James Forbes | F | 6'7" | 200 | 20 | University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, Texas |
| Tom Henderson | G | 6'2" | 190 | 20 | San Jacinto College | Bronx, New York |
| Bobby Jones | C/F | 6'8" | 205 | 20 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Dwight Jones | C | 6'8" | 205 | 20 | University of Houston | Houston, Texas |
| Kevin Joyce | G | 6'3" | 190 | 21 | University of South Carolina | Queens, New York |
| Tom McMillen | F | 6'11" | 210 | 22 | University of Maryland, College Park | Mansfield, Pennsylvania |
| Ed Ratleff | F/G | 6'6" | 190 | 22 | California State University, Long Beach | Columbus, Ohio |
1972 USA results
edit
United States beat 
Czechoslovakia, 66–35- United States beat
Australia, 81–55 - United States beat
Cuba, 67–48 - United States beat
Brazil, 67–54 - United States beat
Egypt, 96–31 - United States beat
Spain, 72–56 - United States beat
Japan, 99–33 - United States beat
Italy, 68–38 
Soviet Union beat United States, 51–50
1972 Olympic games final standings
edit- 1. Soviet Union (9–0)
- 2. United States (8–1)
- 3. Cuba (7–2)
- 4. Italy (5–4)
- 5.
Yugoslavia (7–2) - 6.
Puerto Rico (6–3) - 7. Brazil (5–4)
- 8. Czechoslovakia (4–5)
- 9. Australia (5–4)
- 10.
Poland (3–6) - 11. Spain (4–5)
- 12.
West Germany (3–6) - 13.
Philippines (3–6) - 14. Japan (2–7)
- 15.
Senegal (0–8) - 16. Egypt (0–8)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The Role of Sports in the Soviet Union | Guided History".
- ^ Hubbard, Jan (April 8, 2020). "The Vote That Cleared the Way for NBA Players to Play in FIBA Competitions". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ "Federation Rule Change Opens Olympics to N.B.A. Players". The New York Times. April 8, 1989. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "History of basketball at Olympics: A tale of American domination".
- ^ "USAB: Games of the XXth Olympiad -- 1972". USA Basketball. 2010. Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
External links
edit- USA Basketball, official website