1960 USA Men’s Olympic Team
Inducted:
2010
Players
Jay Arnette
Walt Bellamy
Bob Boozer
Terry Dischinger
Burdette Haldorson
Darrall Imhoff
Allen Kelley
Lester Lane
Jerry Lucas
Oscar Robertson
Adrian Smith
Jerry West
Head coach:
Pete Newell
Contributors:
Walt Bellamy
Terry Dischinger
Bob Boozer
The 1960 USA Men’s Olympic Basketball Team is widely considered the greatest amateur team ever assembled. Co-captained by legends Oscar Robertson and Jerry West, the squad was a perfect blend of collegiate stars and elite AAU players. Competing at the Rome Olympics, they didn't just win; they decimated the international field, going 8–0 and winning by an average margin of 42.4 points per game. Their closest contest was a 24-point victory over the Soviet Union.
The 1960 team served as the "Original Dream Team," proving the absolute global dominance of American basketball decades before NBA professionals were allowed to compete. The roster was so talented that ten of the twelve players went on to play in the NBA, and the team produced the NBA Rookie of the Year for four consecutive seasons (1961–1964). They were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a unit in 2010, joining an elite group of teams so honored.
Team's Awards and Records
- Olympic Gold Medal (1960 Rome Games)
- 8–0 Undefeated Record
- 4 PPG average margin of victory.
- 10 NBA Players produced from a 12-man roster.
- 4 Consecutive NBA Rookies of the Year (Robertson '61, Bellamy '62, Dischinger '63, Lucas '64)
- Featured four future Basketball Hall of Famers
- One of the most dominant Olympic teams in history
- Helped define USA basketball’s early international dominance
NBA Stats
Scoring leader:
Oscar Robertson
Record:
8–0
average points per game:
101.9
Average margin of victory:
42.4 points
Gold medal games won:
8