Winning an NBA championship is arguably the most difficult feat to achieve in professional basketball. On the other hand, being an Olympic gold medalist in men's basketball is a different monster altogether, especially when the rest of the world is closing the gap.
Although a lot of basketball fans will agree that winning an NBA title is much more difficult than the latter, both achievements are a sure-fire way to cement any basketball star's legacy. While both accolades are hard to achieve, some NBA players actually managed to achieve the impossible by winning both in the same year.
In fact, there are only a handful of NBA stars who ruled the NBA and the Olympic stage in the same season. Let's get to know the six NBA players who won an NBA championship and Olympic gold in the same year so far with Team USA's Jayson Tatum and Derrick White hoping to add themselves to the list, and Jrue Holiday wants to be the first to do it twice.
Check out this gallery below.
LeBron James (2012)
There's no question that the 2011-12 season was LeBron James' greatest year with The King at the peak of his powers. He won his third NBA MVP while also conquering his first NBA championship and NBA Finals MVP in Miami.
But instead of taking the summer off, James rejoined the Redeem Team at the 2012 London Olympics, playing a huge role against Lithuania and Spain in the gold-medal rematch to capture his second-straight Olympic gold medal. He averaged 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, including a 20-point clutch performance versus a red-hot Lithuanian national team.
Kyrie Irving (2016)
Fresh from making history with the Cleveland Cavaliers that clawed back from a 3-1 NBA Finals deficit, Kyrie Irving opted to answer the call of national-team duty for the 2016 Rio Olympics. It's worth noting that Irving made a clutch 3-point basket to seal the comeback for the Cleveland Cavaliers' first NBA title in franchise history.
Despite playing against several of his NBA Finals rivals with Warriors teammates Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, Irving helped Team USA clinch the gold medal in a tough Olympic field that saw Team USA escape with narrow victories. He averaged 11.4 points and 4.9 assists per game.
Jrue Holiday (2021)
Jrue Holiday played a stellar role as a perimeter defender for the Milwaukee Bucks' first NBA title in five decades. Without him, the Bucks probably wouldn't have hoisted the NBA championship trophy.
Although Holiday had plenty of valid reasons to stay at home with his family, the 2021 NBA champion answered the call-up from Gregg Popovich to arrive in Tokyo in time for the Summer Games.
Holiday's elite defense paved the way for Team USA's gold-medal conquest amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. He averaged a solid 1.7 steals per outing while also scoring 11.8 points and dishing out 3.8 dimes per game.
Khris Middleton (2021)
Speaking of the Milwaukee Bucks' glorious championship run in 2021, the second star of that squad was Khris Middleton. Middleton's two-way play proved to be a major factor for the Bucks' championship win. As a result, it was a no-brainer for Popovich to enlist a valuable two-way player like Middleton in the Tokyo Olympics.
He's easily the perfect role player to play alongside a team full of stars. Middleton shot a respectable 35 percent from beyond the arc, producing 5.8 points per game.
Michael Jordan (1992)
Coming off his second NBA title in the midst of the Bulls' first three-peat, Michael Jordan was called up by the Team USA program. It's worth noting that it marked the first time that NBA players were allowed to play in the Summer Games. As a result, Michael Jordan, along with other NBA superstars, teamed up to make a statement in Barcelona.
His Airness provided some entertainment and scoring, putting up 14.9 points per game to become one of the leading scorers of the stacked superstar-laden squad. On the other hand, Jordan was also a menace defensively, putting up 4.1 per game to become the second-leading steals leader during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Scottie Pippen (1992)
Speaking of the Bulls' iconic three-peat teams, the Robin to Michael Jordan was none other than Scottie Pippen. He was an elite perimeter defender and a reliable offensive weapon. But apart from Jordan, Pippen also received a call-up to Team USA.
Like in his role with the Bulls, Pippen flourished playing alongside the brightest basketball superstars as the perfect complement and role player that Team USA desperately needed to re-establish the gap against the rest of the basketball world. Pippen averaged 9.0 points and 5.9 assists to go along with 3.0 steals per game.
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