NBA Hall Of Famer Admits 2004 Olympic Basketball Debacle Still Haunts Him

Each time Team USA takes the basketball court, most expect them to romp via wide margin. That was practically the case for most of their stints although there was one tarnish to all that. This was during the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece where the USA settled for a bronze medal.

That team had Larry Brown as its head coach. Among the players who suited up at the time included Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Dwyane Wade, Carlos Boozer, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James. As one can see, that team did not fall short of talent. But losses to Puerto Rico (73-92), Lithuania (90-94) and Argentina (81-89) dampened their chances at a gold medal.

As of this writing, it is considered the most disappointing stints of a USA men's Olympic basketball team. There were other firsts as well. That included being the first time that the US lost three games in the Olympics and the biggest losing margin (against Puerto Rico). It was only the second time that the Americans finished with a bronze, the other being at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Iverson opened up with his experience in 2004 and admitted that it was something that really hurt him since he wanted to fulfill his dream of winning a gold medal. He is thankful for the opportunity even though it is an experience that he regrets to this day, ESPN reported.

"It always haunts me because my dream was to win a gold medal, but the way I look at life is, the things that I’ve accomplished, people where I’m from don’t even get to the doorstep of doing anything like that. So I thank God that I had the opportunity to do it, but yeah, it still bothered me," Iverson said.

Fast-forwarding to the future, USA Basketball has gotten its share of criticism with the mass pullout of several NBA stars to the FIBA World Cup games. With the likes of Anthony Davis, Zion Williamson and James Harden opting to pass, critics question how the USA Basketball will fare against teams who have prepared well for the games.

Team USA is in Group E along with Turkey, Japan and Czech Republic. So far, they have defeated Czech Republic, 88-67, and are scheduled to face Turkey next. But the real worry here is perhaps not in the first round but the succeeding ones when the best of the best from other groups are known.