Team USA was often regarded as untouchable in international play, especially since the dream team played together. However, despite their dominance, it looks like the world has already closed the gap. In fact, Team USA finished out of the podium in the last two editions of the World Cup, finishing seventh and fourth in 2019 and 2023, respectively. But while Team USA is finding ways to recover, there's no question that respect should be given to the countries who managed to pull off a herculean job in stopping USA in their tracks. It's worth noting that all of these countries were led by NBA players. For this piece, let's rank the top 10 NBA player performances in a victory over Team USA.
10. Pau Gasol: 2002 FIBA World Championships
Team USA had a disastrous campaign at the 2002 FIBA World Championships. After getting beaten by Argentina, USA crashed out of the championship round before dropping their game against Yugoslavia. The misery didn't end there, however, as former Laker Pau Gasol dropped 19 points and 10 rebounds to help Spain send a hurting American squad home with an 81-75 upset.
9. Peja Stojakovic: 2002 FIBA World Championships
Speaking of Team USA's 2002 FIBA World Championship campaign, they went home without a single medal after Yugoslavia pulled off an 81-78 stunner. Eventual NBA champion Peja Stojakovic was on fire, exploding for 20 points, spiked by three shots from Rainbow Country.
8. Bogdan Bogdanovic: 2019 FIBA World Cup
Serbia vs. USA was expected to be the gold medal game of the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. But Argentina and France had other plans, relegating the anticipated matchup for seventh place. Despite having no medal at stake, Serbia was all about taking care of business by dominating Team USA right from the get-go. Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic torched USA defenses by scoring 28 points on seven threes to help Serbia get a win over Team USA, 94-89.
7. Jonas Valanciunas: 2023 FIBA World Cup
Had this game been held in the medal rounds, Jonas Valanciunas would certainly rank higher in this list. Nevertheless, Valanciunas and Lithuania were still able to pull off a historic feat by upsetting Team USA, 110-104 to hand them their first loss of the 2023 edition. Using his size advantage, Valanciunas posted 12 points and seven rebounds on 67% shooting from the field.
6. Vassilis Spanoulis: 2006 FIBA World Championships
A young crew led by LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were expected to end Team USA's slump. However, Greece had other plans, thanks to Vassilis Spanoulis. The former Houston Rocket had the game of his life, dropping 22 points, nine from beyond the arc and seven from the charity stripe, sending USA to the bronze medal round after a 101-95 victory. His performance served as a wake-up call that Team USA needed more than just talent to win gold.
5. Manu Ginobili: 2002 FIBA World Championships
While everyone thought at one point that Team USA wasn't beatable, that all changed when Manu Ginobili and the Golden Age of Argentina shocked the world by outlasting USA, 87-80. The eventual four-time NBA champion flashed his all-around play and sent the NBA on notice with his 15-point performance to go along with three assists.
4. Rudy Gobert: 2019 FIBA World Cup
Coming into the quarterfinals, Team USA was holding a 58-game winning streak. However, that ended at the hands of France in the quarterfinals, ending their 2019 FIBA World Cup campaign for gold. Rudy Gobert imposed his presence in the paint, tallying a monster double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds.
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 2023 FIBA World Cup
A high-scoring game that needed an extra period, Canada pulled out all the stops to power the country back to basketball relevancy by winning the bronze medal at the expense of world superpower Team USA, 127-118. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his fine tournament play by tying his tournament-high of 31 markers on 59% shooting overall to go along with 12 assists.
2. Dillon Brooks: 2023 FIBA World Cup
In the same historic win over Team USA, one of the NBA's notorious perimeter defenders decided to make an impact on Canada's offense. Dillon Brooks dropped 39 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Brooks' scoring output tied for the highest scoring tally in a single game at the 2023 World Cup.
1. Dennis Schroder: 2023 FIBA World Cup
Germany capped off their Cinderella World Cup run by defeating Serbia, 83-77. However, no one can forget how Germany dismantled Team USA to advance to the gold medal round, extinguishing all the chances for Team USA to bring home a gold medal of redemption. Toronto Raptors guard Dennis Schroder orchestrated the attack, registering 17 points and nine assists en route to a 113-111 victory in the semifinals.
Follow Us
Subscribe