The 2004 United States men's national basketball team will forever live in infamy as the one that couldn't bring home the gold, instead settling for the bronze in the Athens Olympics. Although the lack of chemistry between the odd mix of young and experienced players was evident, there was no denying how much talent the 2004 squad possessed.
Led by Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson, the team included Stephon Marbury, Amar'e Stoudemire, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony. However, the team was coached by known curmudgeon Larry Brown , who, according to team member Richard Jefferson , was as big a reason for the team's downfall as any.
Tried to get everyone to "play the right way"
In 2004, Brown was coming off a successful stint with the Pistons, helping to lead them to the NBA title with a stunning upset of the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers in the finals. However, Larry's coaching style is not for everybody, and his old-school approach often clashed with the young superstar players like Iverson, who he coached from 1997 to 2003 on the Philadelphia 76ers.
RJ believed that Brown had another agenda other than leading the Americans to the gold medal in Athens. In 2004, basketball was evolving, adapting a more streetball style, thanks to the rise and popularity of the And1 Mixtape Tour. Conversely, Brown insisted on a more disciplined and structured approach, which didn't sit well with many of the players.
"I think Larry Brown tried to use the USA team as a tool. It was when AND1 basketball was going on. He was trying to do something for the game of basketball and trying to put out a certain style of play and a certain style of message versus us just going out there and trying to win games and trying to accomplish things," Jefferson said .
Tried to tell Kidd how to run a fastbreak
Eager to make amends for their sixth-place finish in the 2002 FIBA World Championships, USA Basketball sent a loaded roster to the Olympic qualifying tournament, the 2003 FIBA Tournament of the Americas, held in Puerto Rico. That team had numerous standout players like Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady, and Mike Bibby.
According to RJ, nobody was spared from Brown's rigid coaching methods, including Kidd. The 6-foot-4 guard was already a decade into what would be a Hall of Fame career. By 2004, he had already established himself as one of the NBA's elite two-way players, capable of orchestrating his team's offense and defending the opposing team's best player. But apparently, Larry thought Kidd needed more coaching on how to run a fastbreak.
"I remember in the qualifier for the Olympics, he told Jason Kidd, 'Hey Jason, I know you're really good at the fast break, but I want you to stop at the free-throw line and throw a bounce pass to one of the wings,'" Jefferson revealed. "And you're sitting here talking to the second all-time leading assist guy and one of the most dominant point guards of all time. Truth be told, that's probably why nine guys decided that they didn't want to go do the Olympics."
Only three players from the 2003 Team USA squad went on to play in the 2004 Athens Olympics: RJ, Duncan, and Iverson. They embarrassingly went home with a bronze medal. However, the experience stunk for so many that Marbury called it the worst 38 days of his life , while Duncan swore never to play in a FIBA tournament again.
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