Representing your nation in the Olympics is a tremendous achievement. For athletes, it's a dream fulfilled to play under their country's proud colors and showcase their excellence amongst the best. In front of the millions of sports fans watching and by the glamour of the world's biggest sporting event, nothing tops the feeling of bringing home that ultimate achievement.
The United States couldn't be more compelled to send thousands of fully committed athletes across sports in every Olympics. However, they witnessed an unreal low willingness of national participation in men's basketball in 2004. In what was supposed to be a heavily-sought opportunity, only a few filed their application to join the Summer Games in Athens. It was an unprecedented turn of events considering that America yields pride as the game's birthplace, sheltering most of the Earth's best basketball players.
Allen Iverson could only air his frustration about his fellow NBA stars abandoning their duty to represent the Stars and Stripes as he and his undermanned United States group eventually suffered a most embarrassing collapse.
No sense of honor to represent the U.S.
The construction of the Americans' 12-man roster for the 2004 Olympics was complicated. For such reasons, many NBA stars didn't offer their service, leaving the Team USA leadership scrambling for a last-minute finalization that saw them deploying the youngest group ever in age average (23.8) of all the United States senior teams.
Some opted for a longer rest after a grinding 2003-04 season. Others expressed concerns over security threats, with reports citing terrorist attacks that may unfold. Meanwhile, several raised their eyebrows and didn't want any business with Larry Brown's old-fashioned coaching tactics. And due to personal matters, multiple players also elected to sit out, forgoing a chance to win in Athens.
Upon Team USA's unfortunate downfall by losing against Argentina and ultimately settling for a forgettable bronze medal finish, Iverson blatantly questioned their will for America's honor against all odds and circumstances. For A.I., it was unacceptable how his peers easily turned down the privilege of playing and defending the nation's legacy that secured the past three Olympic golds.
"Any person that's selected to a team like this, it shouldn't be a question in your mind," he said . "You honestly get a chance to represent your country, and what's better than that? As for anybody that grew up in the U.S. and is able to be a basketball player in the N.B.A., you understand the things that the country has brought for you and your family, the support for your family and the opportunity to be recognized as a household name.
"It's just an honor to be able to do that, and I would advise anybody who is selected for a team like this to take that honor and cherish it."
A wake-up call
Upon this blunderous all-time failure, the world saw a seismic shift in the United States hoops. Triggered by their stunning loss, the Americans delivered a massive reform by orchestrating a long-term plan to recover and maintain their glory, securing an early commitment amongst NBA stars wanting to participate for the United States. Since then, under the leadership of Jerry Colangelo and now Grant Hill, USAB never showed mercy and dominated global basketball, winning the gold medals of the next four editions of the Olympic Games.
As patriotic as Iverson had ever been, he unfortunately never had a chance to run things back and draw redemption for his shortcomings in 2004. Colangelo didn't call his name as he formed the 2008' Redeem Team' that conquered the entire tourney in Beijing.
But with his call-out following the '04 blunder, he served a much bigger purpose for providing that needed wake-up call, prompting USA Basketball and other American stars to take international basketball seriously in the name of the nation's success.
Related: Richard Jefferson shares how Larry Brown led the to downfall of Team USA in 2004 Olympics
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