Let’s get this out of the way: On this list of the top 50 USA Basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan is ninth. Deal with it.
On Wednesday, USA Basketball formally announced its star-studded men’s team for the Paris Olympics, a roster that rivals the famous 1992 Dream Team. This year is also the 50th anniversary of USA Basketball as an organization. To commemorate that, along with the powerhouse teams the American men and women will send to Paris, I ranked the 50 players who did the most while wearing “USA” across his or her chest over the past five decades. And that’s why you won’t see Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson or Jerry West on this list. Olympic greats though they are, we’re ranking players in the USAB era.
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One list, men and women in the same pool, measured by hardware, buckets and years of service to the Red, White and Blue.
So, to properly take in this list, put out of your mind every NBA Finals, regular-season scoring record, MVP speech, Gatorade commercial and shoe contract. Achievements with the Bulls or Cavaliers or Lakers or Celtics or Sparks or Aces don’t count. This roster has nothing — I repeat, nothing — to do with the NBA, or, for that matter, the WNBA.
This USA Top 50 was also determined by a committee of one — me. I have served as The Athletic’s beat writer for the United States men’s national team for the past five years (two FIBA World Cups and an Olympics so far, with another coming in July), and also covered the women at the Tokyo Olympics. I consulted multiple people with years or perhaps decades of experience inside the USA Basketball organization, but the decisions on who to include and in what order were mine.
I spent weeks poring through USA Basketball’s extensive records, with the most important metrics being medals won (either at the Olympics or FIBA World Cups) and individual statistics accumulated. Those things can be measured, and as you will see with No. 1, her stockpile is overwhelming.
Subjectively, I also considered a player’s impact on each USA team for which they played or a standout achievement in a single Olympics or World Cup. These are judgment calls and explain how Kobe Bryant is as high as he is on the list when there are players with more medals behind him, or why Kevin Garnett made it at all over players left off the list entirely despite having more hardware.
Another consideration was a player’s overall service to USA Basketball. How many years did he or she play for the national team, and in how many smaller tournaments? How many years were spent repping the USA at the junior level, and if so, did winning follow? What about 3×3 (hello, Kelsey Plum)?
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Legends of the women’s game, pioneers such as Jennifer Azzi, Pat Summit and Ann Meyers, as well as a household name in Rebecca Lobo, are not on the list. Stephen Curry, John Stockton, Draymond Green — all have two golds with USAB (Olympic or World Cup) and need no introduction. Even they still couldn’t make the list. Tim Duncan and Vince Carter suffered the same fate.
Without further ado, the top 50 USAB players ever.
Lisa Leslie
Kevin Durant
Sue Bird
Diana Taurasi
Teresa Edwards
Carmelo Anthony
Katrina McClain
LeBron James
Michael Jordan
Dawn Staley
David Robinson
Sheryl Swoopes
Breanna Stewart
Tamika Catchings
Charles Barkley
Kobe Bryant
Sylvia Fowles
Tina Charles
Brittney Griner
