With the Olympic Summer Games underway in Tokyo, the United States men’s national basketball team is once again a massive favorite to capture a gold medal.
Since basketball was included as an Olympic sport in 1936 in Berlin, Team USA has brought home the gold 15 times in 18 appearances – but in 2021, Team USA is far from invincible, with three losses in the month of July alone.
Dominant squads such as the original Dream Team or 2008’s Redeem Team have set an expectation that collections of American NBA superstars should never lose, but since 1992, Team USA has suffered 14 shocking losses in tournament and exhibition play.
For the purposes of this list, we’re overlooking losses Team USA suffered when the roster wasn’t full of NBA talent, in tournaments such as the 1998 FIBA World Championship, or the 2005 FIBA Americas Championship, where Team USA relied on college stars or unheralded Americans playing internationally.
Here’s a list of every Team USA upset since NBA stars took over international basketball:
