Ranking: The Top 15 players in Olympic basketball history (2024)

Stats: 18.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 58.8 FG% in 35 games
Olympic accolades: Two silver medals (2008 and 2012) and a bronze medal (2016)

The top rebounder and shot blocker on record at the Games and arguably the best player ever at FIBA summer tournaments, Pau Gasol is No. 1 here even though he fell short of gold losing two Finals against Team USA (though putting up a fight).

The undisputed leader of probably the best National Teams ever assembled outside of the United States, Gasol was a must-watch at every Olympic tournament he played. It’s not just that he dominated against the Frances and Argentinas; he also gave America the business. No one has scored more points against Team USA than him.

The top scorers against Team USA at the Olympics

THE RANKING

1. Pau Gasol: 110 points 🇪🇸
2. Patty Mills: 91 🇦🇺
3. Sarunas Jasikevicius: 89 🇱🇹
4. Oscar Schmidt: 81 🇧🇷
5. Manu Ginobili: 79 🇦🇷
5. Luis Scola: 79 🇦🇷
7. Drazen Petrovic: 71 🇭🇷
8. JC Navarro: 70 🇪🇸
9. Dino Radja: 65 🇭🇷 pic.twitter.com/6xXMMSN1dA

— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) July 10, 2024

Stats: 19.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.2 apg, 52.8 FG% in 20 games
Olympic accolades: Three gold medals (2012, 2016, and 2020)

Kevin Durant has a pretty good chance of becoming the first athlete to win four Olympic gold medals in men’s basketball, solidifying his status as the best American in international basketball and turning himself undeniably establishing himself as the top Olympic player ever.

As of today, Durant is the only player to have won MVP honors in both the Olympics and the World Cup. Even with his decorated NBA career, his FIBA resume may be more impressive.

Stats: 18.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.6 apg, 50.1 FG% in 27 games
Olympic accolades: Gold medal (2004) and bronze medal (2008)

In the 32 years since NBA players have been allowed to play in the Olympics, Team USA has lost only once in an elimination game. Manu Ginobili led Argentina to a massive upset in 2004, paving the way to its first gold in basketball. Manu’s fiery spirit and offensive talent were key for the Spurs to win four championships, but somehow he would amp up his competitive spirit even more with his National Team.

Just a few others match his legendary status in Argentina. Here’s a clip of Argentinian fans after Manu’s last game with his National Team at the Rio Olympics. (Give us chills).

Stats: 18.6 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 52.8 FG% in 22 games
Olympic accolades: One gold medal (1988) and two bronze medals (1992 and 1996).

There was a time when the United States would dominate Olympic basketball with college players. In the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Arvydas Sabonis changed that.

The 7-foot-3 center won gold with the Soviet Union in that tournament and then, more meaningfully for him, also got two bronze medals with Lithuania. The 1992 squad produced some great stories, including this one documented by Grantland many years ago.

Sabonis and his teammates ventured back to the Olympic dormitory, where Sabonis challenged fellow Olympians in arm wrestling for shots. One by one, wrestlers and shot putters among them, Sabonis beat them. By the time of the award ceremony, three Lithuanians did not make it to the podium. Sabonis was one of them. “I knew how they used to roll,” said Chris Mullin, part of the United States’ Dream Team. “I think they came out with their tie-dye on. They did what the Deadheads do. They got loosened up. Made use of their free time.” Sabonis was located a couple of days later in one of the women’s Olympic dormitories.

Even with his potential as a player diminished due to injuries, Sabonis was super dominant at the FIBA level.

Stats: 17.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.6 apg, 56.4 FG% in 32 games
Olympic accolades: One gold medal (2004) and one bronze medal (2008)

More than just the perfect complement to Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola was the heart and soul of Argentina’s Golden Generation. Arguably the most committed star to a National Team, he basically didn’t take summers off in a career that spanned two decades. This dedication included an unofficial MVP performance in the 2004 Olympic final against Italy, where he recorded a 25-point double-double. Perhaps not coincidentally, Argentina has been unable to qualify for a major FIBA tournament since Scola’s retirement as a player in 2021.

Did Luis Scola play for Argentina that summer?

2002: ✅
2003: ✅
2004: ✅
2005: ❌
2006: ✅
2007: ✅
2008: ✅
2009: ✅
2010: ✅
2011: ✅
2012: ✅
2013: ✅
2014: ✅
2015: ✅
2016: ✅
2017: ✅
2018: Argentina didn't play
2019: ✅
2020: Argentina didn't play
2021: ✅

The end?

— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) August 3, 2021

Stats: 10.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.0 apg, 43.9 FG% in 28 games
Olympic accolades: Three gold medals (2008, 2012 and 2016) and one bronze medal (2004)

One of the best scorers in NBA history, Carmelo Anthony never got to win a championship ring. But on the Olympic stage, no male player is more decorated than him. While most stars would only commit to representing Team USA for one or two tournaments, Anthony made it cool to never turn down an invitation to the Olympics. Flourishing as a stretch four in FIBA competitions, his four medals at the Games make up for his lack of NBA titles.

Stats: 11.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 59.6 FG% in 22 games
Olympic accolades: Two gold medals (2008 and 2012) and a bronze medal (2004)

Things didn’t start off well for LeBron James at the Olympics, as he missed out on the gold medal in 2004 under Larry Brown. But he made up for it with the Redeem Team in Beijing in 2008, and again four years later in London. Twelve years after that, having won three NBA championships in between, James is aiming to add a third Olympic gold medal to his resume.

Stats: 29.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.9 apg, 50.0 FG% in 37 games
Olympic accolades: 5th place in 1980, 1988 and 1992

His well-earned nickname, “Mâo Santa” (Holy Hand), is probably an understatement. One of the best players to never make it to the NBA, Oscar Schmidt is the all-time leading scorer at the Olympics, averaging almost 30 points in five tournaments. We are pretty confident his scoring record (like LeBron James’ in the NBA) will never be broken. With no other legitimate stars alongside him in Brazil, Schmidt never came close to winning a medal, but he was easily the most unstoppable offensive player in FIBA basketball in his heyday.

Brazilian legend Oscar Schmidt is the all-time leading scorer in major FIBA tournaments (Olympics + World Cup) by a mile. He's the only one in the Top 4 without NBA experience. pic.twitter.com/yYq1D6mi6c

— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) August 1, 2019

Stats: 15.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, 49.0 FG% in 15 games
Olympic accolades: Two gold medals (1984 and 1992)

The only unbeaten player on this list. Michael Jordan introduced himself to a global audience while leading Team USA to gold in 1984, and the world has never been the same since then. While he didn’t lead the 1992 Dream Team in scoring, His Airness was the main attraction for perhaps the most iconic team ever. Jordan’s NBA career was undoubtedly more legendary than in FIBA, but his two Olympic golds without losing a game are not a bad extra argument for any well-researched GOAT debate.

Stats: 11.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.6 apg, 60.8 FG% in 24 games
Olympic accolades: Two gold medals (1992 and 1996) and a bronze medal (1988)

After leading Team USA to the gold in the 1986 World Championship (beating Arvydas Sabonis’ USSR in the final), David Robinson‘s first Olympics experience ended with a bronze two years later, the first time the United States didn’t make it to the Olympic final.

As the lone holdover from that Seoul 1988 team, The Admiral got his revenge by winning gold in 1992, and then again in 1996. Robinson was an unstoppable force in FIBA competitions, just a few years before becoming a huge part of another winning dynasty with San Antonio.

Stats: 19.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 51.6 FG% in 22 games
Olympic accolades: Two silver medals (1988 and 1992) and one bronze medal (1984)

As people would eventually realize in the NBA, Drazen Petrovic was a bucket and one of the most talented scorers ever in FIBA basketball. His rise to prominence in the 1980s with Yugoslavia was one of the arguments USA Basketball needed to realize it would need NBA talent to remain at the top. His Olympic run would culminate in Barcelona ’92, where only the legendary Dream Team stopped the newly formed Croatia from winning a historic gold.

Stats: 19.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.0 apg, 44.5 FG% in 24 games
Olympic accolades: One bronze medal (2020)

FIBA Patrick Mills is definitely a thing. A role player at best during his long NBA career, the veteran point guardturns into a superstar when he’s representing the Boomers. His culmination as the face of Australian basketball arrived in Tokyo 2020, where he was named the flag bearer for his country’s delegation. In Japan, he earned All-Tournament team honors while breaking a long-time drought for Australia’s men’s National Team, winning its first Olympic medal.

Stats: 20.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 52.1 FG% in 37 games
Olympic accolades: 4th place in 1988, 1996 and 2000

Before Patty Mills, there was Andrew Gaze. Despite an unimpressive NBA career (though he won a championship ring with the Spurs in 1999), he was the most feared Aussie player in international competitions for nearly two decades. A talented scorer and fiery competitor, he retired with the bitter taste of never getting any Olympic hardware, losing every game with a medal on the line. Nevertheless, even with the emergence of Patty Mills and other Autralian stars, Gaze is still revered by many as the GOAT down under.

Stats: 18.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.4 apg, 50.4 FG% in 21 games
Olympic accolades: One gold medal (1988) and two bronze medals (1992 and 1996)

Same as his inseparable Arvydas Sabonis, Sarunas Marciulionis won Olympic medals both with the Soviet Union and Lithuania. One of the first international players to make a name for himself in the NBA, he brought his ball-handling skills and efficient left hand to the table to turn the small country of Lithuania into a staple in FIBA competitions. A well-deserved Hall of Famer since 2014, he was also one of the first players who used the Euro step as an effective way to attack the rim.

Stats: 14.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 49.7 FG% in 19 games
Olympic accolades: Bronze medal (2012)

The Soviet Union was arguably the second-best team in the Olympic amateur era. Since then, Russia’s National Team has only been relevant in FIBA competitions with Andrei Kirilenko as its star. Maximizing his two-way skills, AK-47 led his country in 2012 to its only Olympic medal since the disintegration of the USSR, defeating a still-powerful Argentinian National Team in the game for the bronze. After his retirement, Kirilenko remains the face of Russian hoops as the president of its basketball federation.