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Every four years, five if there is a global pandemic, the world witnesses a coming together of its best athletes to compete at the biggest sporting event on our planet - the Olympics. The Olympics is synonymous with the power of sport over politics and differences, uniting us all with our love of watching exceptional displays of athleticism, skill, and training.
Also Check out: Slovenia Olympic Basketball Team 2021
The virtues of the Olympics are highlighted in its renewed oath. Every athlete, judge, or coach, before competing, reads the following oath: “We promise to take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules and in the spirit of fair play, inclusion, and equality. Together we stand in solidarity and commit ourselves to sport without doping, without cheating, without any form of discrimination. We do this for the honor of our teams, in respect for the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, and to make the world a better place through sport.”
Top five individual basketball performances at Olympics
For every basketball player not playing in the NBA, Olympic basketball is a time to show the world their prowess. Relentless basketball battles at the Olympics, the opportunity to see incredible team performances, and the ever-hanging hopes of an underdog team dethroning the dominant Team USA make it a tournament that cannot be missed.
In today's list we rank the best five individual performances in the sport of basketball in the Summer Olympics. Spoiler Alert: there are no Americans on the list. At this point you are wondering, are there any NBA players on the list?
#5 Yao Ming
Yes, there are NBA players on this list. Ranked fifth here, Yao Ming was a 7' 6" giant center that represented China in the Olympics and Houston Rockets in the NBA. His best performance of the Olympics came in a tight match against New Zealand in 2004.
Yao, after China's defeat to Spain in the previous match, went all out against the Kiwis. Yao put up 39 points in the match and grabbed 13 rebounds. His dominant under-the-ring scoring and offensive skills helped Yao post such numbers on the scoring card. His extraordinary height helped him gather rebounds on both sides of the court and also helped him defend the ball.
Also Read: Who is Yao Ming’s wife, Ye Li?
#4 Arturo Guerrero
Mexican legend Arturo Guerrero is in the bracket of basketball players who have never played in the NBA. However, his is not your usual reason for not playing. He was offered a spot on the team by clubs like the LA Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers, but he turned them down for the sole reason of wanting to play for Mexico in the FIBA tournaments and the Olympics.
Arguably the best Mexican basketball player, Arturo participated in two Olympics and two FIBA World Championship. In 1974, in the seventh FIBA World Championship, Arturo averaged 27 points per game, becoming the lead scorer of the tournament.
His greatest Olympic performance came during the 1976 Montreal Olympics. In a game against team Japan, Arturo scored an incredible 41 points thus earning the fourth rank on this list.
#3 Ed Palubinskas
Ed Palubinskas is a celebrated FIBA player and a major name in Olympic basketball history. Being a Basketball Australia Hall of Fame player, Ed was one of the best scorers ever in the Olympics before the arrival of the number 1 man on this list. In his professional career, he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks but never played in the NBA. Interestingly, he was Shaquille O'Neal's shooting coach in the 2000-01 season.
The 6' 0" tall basketballer set multiple scoring records in the Olympics in his time. During the Montreal Olympics, Ed Palubinskas scored a record-setting 269 points in the tournament. This record remained unbroken for twelve years. Ed Palubinskas dropped 48 points against Team Mexico in his best-ever individual performance in the Olympics, thus cementing his position as the third-best on this list.
#2 Luka Doncic
One of the best players in the world, Luka Doncic is the only current NBA player on the list. Hailing from the central European country of Slovenia, Luka has made an incredible mark in the game of basketball. As a professional NBA player playing for the Dallas Mavericks, his ability to score, pass, and defend is at the top of the league.
The 6' 7" point guard's game was immediately recognized by players and franchises across the NBA league. His extraordinary performance won him the Rookie of the year award in 2019 and an All-Star appearance in two of his three seasons.
As a point guard, Luka also plays like a small forward. His offensive arsenal includes step-back threes, floaters, drives, and euro-steps. Each of his spectacular moves is insanely difficult to stop, allowing him to post extremely high numbers.
Playing against Argentina in Slovenia's first ever Olympic basketball match, Luka scored 48 points, tying for second place with Ed as the second highest points scored in a match in the Olympics. Luka's performance in his debut match was so good that even the Argentinian legend Manu Ginobili couldn't help but praise him.
#1 Oscar Schmidt
Mao Santo, the holy hand, the player to have scored 55 points in an Olympics game and broken uncountable records, Oscar Schmidt is almost a mythical player. The Brazilian national represented his country in the Olympics five times and was the leading scorer three times.
The almost 6' 9" shooting guard rejected the New Jersey Nets' fully guaranteed contract to play in Italy. His reason for doing so? According to him, the pay wasn't as good and he wanted to continue representing Brazil.
This phenomenal scorer holds the record for most points scored in an Olympic match, a record he set by breaking the 12-year-long record set by Ed. In 1988, in a game against Spain, Oscar scored 55 points to cement his title as the best individual performance in the Olympics. Even though Oscar had many more such phenomenal performances, we only considered his highest scoring performance for this list.
Guess the Lakers players!
