Behind a handful of those medals have been some of the best teams in the history of the Games. When America assembles all of its talent to work together, it has formed some truly iconic partnerships.
There are no shortage of great choices when making a list of the best that have ever represented Team USA. From rowing to beach volleyball to tug of war, the USA has taken gold in 38 different sports. To make a list of the top six teams of all time, a group had to be special.
Here are those seven special teams, ranked from top to bottom. Their legacies continue to withstand the test of time.
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Best Summer Olympics teams of all time
1. 1992 Men’s Basketball
You can make a case that the follow-up Dream Team in 1996 was deeper, or that the Redeem Team in 2008 had more top-end talent. But the original 1992 Dream Team was iconic, catching the world by storm. It is perhaps the greatest sports team ever assembled.
Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, David Robinson, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, and Charles Barkley all took turns starting. John Stockton, Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullin, Karl Malone, and Christian Laettner came off the bench. Every player but Laettner is in the Hall of Fame.
They were head-and-shoulders above the field, and everyone knew it. Opponents would ask them for autographs and photos after the games were over. Barkley had one of the best quotes ever before they faced off in their first game against Angola.
“I don’t know anything about Angola,” Barkley quipped. “But Angola’s in trouble.”
Team USA went on to beat Angola 116-48, at one point rattling off a 46-1 run. They won all of their games by an average of 43.8 points, easily winning gold.
The Dream Team came about after amateur teams had been defeated in international competitions from the 1987 Pan Am Games, the 1988 Olympics, the 1990 World Games, and the 1990 Goodwill Games. They not only reclaimed America’s place as the basketball capital of the world, they spread the game to make it the global sport that it stands as today.
2. 1996 Women’s Gymnastics
The “Magnificent Seven,” as they were known, stole the show at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden, and Jaycie Phelps made up the most talented group that gymnastics has even seen.
Russia and Romania had been powerhouses in the sport, but the depth of the American team was too much to match. Kerri Strug had one of the most iconic performances in Olympic history, overcoming an ankle injury on her second vault attempt and sticking the landing in order to clinch the nation’s first ever gold medal in team competition. The image of her coach, Béla Károlyi, carrying her to the podium is one of the most powerful of the games.
3. 2016 Women’s Basketball
The Women’s Team USA Basketball team has been one of the best ever. They’ve won eight straight Gold medals and haven’t lost a single game since 1992. That streak has hit 55 games entering the Paris Olympics.
The best version of that team may have come in 2016. Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi have anchored that winning streak, winning five gold medals each. Both were in their primes during those 2016 games. They were joined by Maya Moore, Brittney Griner, Tamika Catchings, and more. It was such a stacked team that Candace Parker controversially couldn’t even make the cut.
That team was never challenged throughout the summer. They won by 65, 40, 26, 30, 43, 46, 19, and 29 points. Only two other teams have won more golds in a row — the Men’s Basketball team from 1936 to 1968 and India’s Men’s Field Hockey team from 1928 to 1956.
4. 2004 Women’s Softball
The scoring margin that this team won by tells the whole story. The USA outscored opponents 51-1 en-route to gold, with the only run against coming in a 5-1 win in the championship game. Four of their nine games were shortened due to the mercy rule.
Everyone knew that this group was unbeatable. They won 122 straight pre-Olympic warmup games.
When the real games started, there was never a doubt. Team USA won its third straight gold medal behind the pitching of Lisa Fernandez. It was an emotional tournament for everyone after coach Mike Candrea’s wife, Sue, died shortly before the Games from an unexpected brain aneurysm.
5. 1996 Women’s Soccer
This was the team that started a dynasty. Led by Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy, Briana Scurry, and others, they won the first Gold in Olympic Soccer. They would go on to win in 2004, 2008, and 2012.
Those women turned soccer into a cultural phenomenon. Over 76,000 fans lined up to watch the championship game at the University of Georgia, which was at the time the largest to watch a women’s soccer game ever.
The USA defeated China 2-1 to take down the gold, paving the way for an even more dramatic victory in the 1999 World Cup.
6. 1936 Men’s Rowing
Held in Nazi Germany with Adolf Hitler in attendance, the Germans were expected to win the gold. They had already won in five of six rowing finals, but the most prestigious race was still remaining: the eights, featuring a coxswain and eight oarsmen.
At the time, the U.S would send that year’s NCAA champion to the Games. Rather than sending their typical Ivy league representation, a ragtag group from the University of Washington featuring working class backgrounds had earned the right to compete by winning the national title.
They almost didn’t have a chance to attend — the team learned late in the process that it had to pay its own way to the Games. They had less than a week to get enough money together. A desperate fundraising campaign from the community came through with a few days to spare.
That ability to overcome adversity came in handy during the race. Despite numerous hurdles, they mounted a furious comeback to beat Germany, Italy, and symbolically triumph over Naziism. Their story inspired the 2023 movie ‘The Boys In The Boat.’
