Continued NC’s 65-Year Streak Of Contributions
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
When the United States captured the gold medal in men’s basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics, the accomplishment marked America’s 17th championship in 20 all-time appearances (dating to 1936), and it continued a 65-year tradition of North Carolina’s wide-ranging and often crucial contributions to the cause.
Starting in 1960, when North Carolina product Walt Bellamy (Barber High School in New Bern) played for Team USA, the Old North State has had at least one — and as many as eight(!) — representatives among the American squad’s administrators, coaches and players. For these purposes, a representative of North Carolina was deemed to be anyone who played or coached at an in-state high school or in-state college/university.
This year, North Carolina was represented by Team USA managing director Grant Hill (Duke), starting guard Steph Curry (Charlotte Christian School/Davidson), backup center Bam Adebayo (Northside High School in Pinetown/High Point Christian Academy) and backup forward Jayson Tatum (Duke).
Almost 40 years ago, North Carolina’s high-water mark as a state also served as UNC’s high-water mark for Olympics participation as a men’s basketball program.
For the 1976 Summer Games, after the Americans were robbed of the 1972 men’s basketball gold medal in one of the most controversial games in international hoops history, the United States turned to legendary UNC head coach Dean Smith, who had led the Tar Heels to the 1971 NIT championship and the NCAA Final Four in 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1972.
Smith then built an American contingent that included his long-time UNC assistant coach, Bill Guthridge, as well as four of his own Carolina players at the time: point guard Phil Ford, wing guard Walter Davis and post players Mitch Kupchak and Tom LaGarde. (Reminder: Team USA did not start using NBA players until 1992.) The overwhelming Atlantic Coast Conference theme continued with guard Tate Armstrong (Duke) and forward Kenny Carr (NC State).
The Americans absolutely dominated the field in 1976, finishing 7-0, including a 95-74 margin over Yugoslavia in the gold medal contest.
More than 30 years later, after Team USA managed only the bronze medal in 2004 (many elite American players in the NBA declined to participate), USA Basketball turned back to North Carolina for elite coaches and players once more.
Legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who had been an assistant for America’s so-called “Dream Team” at the 1992 Olympics, then led Team USA to three consecutive gold medals as the head coach in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
At various times during that lengthy stretch (see complete list below), Krzyzewski’s coaching staff included Nate McMillian (NC State), and his playing roster included point guards Chris Paul (Wake Forest) and Kyrie Irving (Duke), forward Harrison Barnes (UNC) and center Carlos Boozer (Duke).
Although coaches don’t actually receive medals at the Olympic Games, Krzyzewski has contributed to more men’s basketball Olympic medals (four golds) than anyone in North Carolina history. Five of Coach K’s former Duke players also helped the Americans to gold medals with their on-court efforts: Christian Laettner in 1992, Hill in 1996, Boozer in 2008, Irving in 2016, and Tatum in 2020 and 2024.
The only other in-state figure with that sort of lengthy tenure with Team USA is former UNC player and assistant coach Larry Brown, whose greatest claim to fame may be that he’s the only person ever to win both the NCAA (1988 Kansas) and NBA (2004 Detroit Pistons) championships as a head coach.
Brown helped the Americans to the 1964 gold medal as a player and to the 2000 gold medal as an assistant coach, but he also was the head coach during the team’s disappointing third-place finish in 2004. Brown also was an assistant coach for Team USA in 1980, when the United States boycotted the Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest Russia’s ongoing invasion of Afghanistan.
Among Team USA players with ties to North Carolina, Michael Jordan (UNC) joins Adebayo, Paul and Tatum as the only men with two gold medals each.
Adebayo (only 27 years old) and Tatum (26) could be asked to represent their country once more in 2028, when the Summer Olympics will be held in the United States and the Americans will be going for their sixth consecutive gold medal in men’s basketball.
North Carolina At Summer Olympics
MEN’S BASKETBALL
(Individual Ties To NC In Parentheses)
2024 (gold)
Bam Adebayo (Pinetown Northside HS/High Point Christian Academy)
Stephen Curry (Charlotte Christian School/Davidson)
managing director Grant Hill (Duke)
Jayson Tatum (Duke)
2020 (gold)
Bam Adebayo (Pinetown Northside HS/High Point Christian Academy)
Jayson Tatum (Duke)
2016 (gold)
Harrison Barnes (UNC)
Kyrie Irving (Duke)
head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)
2012 (gold)
head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)
assistant coach Nate McMillan (NC State)
Chris Paul (Clemmons West Forsyth HS/Wake Forest)
2008 (gold)
Carlos Boozer (Duke)
head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)
assistant coach Nate McMillan (NC State)
Chris Paul (Clemmons West Forsyth HS/Wake Forest)
2004 (bronze)
Carlos Boozer (Duke)
head coach Larry Brown (UNC)
Tim Duncan (Wake Forest)
assistant coach Roy Williams (UNC)
2000 (gold)
assistant coach Larry Brown (UNC)
Vince Carter (UNC)
assistant coach Tubby Smith (High Point)
1996 (gold)
Grant Hill (Duke)
1992 (gold)
Michael Jordan (Wilmington Laney HS/UNC)
assistant coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)
Christian Laettner (Duke)
1988 (bronze)
Danny Manning (Greensboro Page HS)
JR Reid (UNC)
1984 (gold)
Michael Jordan (Wilmington Laney HS/UNC)
Sam Perkins (UNC)
1980 (DNP-boycott)
assistant coach Larry Brown (UNC)
Buck Williams (Rocky Mount HS)
Al Wood (UNC)
1976 (gold)
Tate Armstrong (Duke)
Kenny Carr (NC State)
Walter Davis (Charlotte South Mecklenburg HS/UNC)
Phil Ford (Rocky Mount HS/UNC)
assistant coach Bill Guthridge (UNC)
Mitch Kupchak (UNC)
Tom LaGarde (UNC)
head coach Dean Smith (UNC)
1972 (silver)
Tommy Burleson (Newland Avery County HS/NC State)
Bobby Jones (Charlotte South Mecklenburg/UNC)
1968 (gold)
Charlie Scott (Laurinburg Institute/UNC)
1964 (gold)
Larry Brown (UNC), Jeff Mullins (Duke)
1960 (gold)
Walt Bellamy (New Bern Barber HS)
1936/1948/1952/1956 (gold/gold/gold/gold)
none
