Olympics Men's Basketball: Top 5 performances of all time in gold medal games

Kevin Durant of Team United States celebrates during the Men's Basketball medal ceremony on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Kevin Durant of Team United States celebrates during the Men's Basketball medal ceremony on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

#3 David Robinson - 1996 Olympics Men's Basketball

'The Admiral'.
'The Admiral'.

David Robinson played in three Olympics with the US men's basketball team, at Seoul in 1988, with the 1992 'Dream Team' in Barcelona and at home, in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Robinson is one of four American players to have taken at least three medals in the Olympics. Before becoming an NBA player, he won a bronze medal in the 1988 tournament, he then won two gold medals in 1992 and 1996.

With 'Dream Team 2', "The Admiral" had a tremendous performance in the 1996 gold medal game against FR Yugoslavia. Robinson added 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded two steals in the game to lead the USA's 95-69 victory.


#2 Adrian Dantley - 1976 Olympics Men's Basketball

AD.
AD.

Adrian Dantley went to the 1976 Olympics with the US men's basketball team and played tremendously for the squad, right before his first season in the NBA.

Dantley led the team in scoring throughout the tournament at Montreal, averaging 19.3 points per game. In the gold medal game, when the United States faced Yugoslavia, AD scored 30 points and grabbed four rebounds to lead the USA's 95-74 win.

Dantley's 30 points in the 1976 final are tied for the most in a gold medal game in men's basketball history.


#1 Kevin Durant - 2012 Olympics Men's Basketball

Kevin Durant #5 of the United States in the 2012 Olympics.
Kevin Durant #5 of the United States in the 2012 Olympics.

Kevin Durant has already won three gold medals with the USA at the Olympics, tied with Carmelo Anthony for the most all-time. In three gold-medal games, Durant averages 29.6 points per game.

In the 2020 Olympics, Durant put up 29 points in the gold medal match against France, while he put up 30 against Serbia in the championship game back in Rio 2016.

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The all-time record for points scored in a gold-medal game is 30 points, and Durant managed to do it twice. In 2012, Durant's scoring guided the USA's new version of the 'Dream Team' against a tremendous Spanish squad.

Durant scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the USA's 107-100 win.


Also read: What rules do the Olympics follow for 3x3 Basketball?

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