Nowadays, Team USA athletes get the royal treatment when they compete in the Olympics or any international competition. They have their planes, and buses, and have a whole staff that takes care of their needs.
One dollar a day
However, back in the day, particularly in the 1960 Rome Olympics, basketball players like Jerry West had to tend to themselves. They received some support from their country which is measly by today's standards.
"We were amateurs in every sense of the word. We got one dollar a day as a per diem. Could you live on that?" West said , per Cleveland.com.
It was a different time. Nowadays, athletes get over $100 per diem to play for their country. They earn a whole lot more because of endorsements and salaries.
West and his crew had to make ends meet with their $1 per diem. And given that they won the gold, it seemed like it was everything they needed. The 1960 Team USA, comprised of West, Oscar Robertson , Jerry Lucas, Walt Bellamy, and others, was helmed by California Golden Bears head coach Pete Newell.
They won all eight games by an average of 42.4 points per game. Given their dominance, analysts claim the 1960 squad is the greatest amateur team ever assembled. In 2010, along with the Dream Team , the 1960 US Olympic men's basketball team was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a unit.
Related: Forbes says USA Basketball will spend $15 million in Paris: "You're talking about some very, very famous and very rich individuals"
Better than the Dream Team?
Larry Bird , a member of the 1992 Dream Team, is well aware of the history of Team USA basketball squads. While many regard the 1992 squad as the greatest, Larry Legend knows that it was a lot easier during their time compared to the 1960s .
"I don't know who had the best team, but I know the team in 1960 was a hell of a lot tougher than we were," said Bird. "Because I couldn't imagine the '92 team getting in them covered wagons for eight days, going across the country, jumping in the Atlantic Ocean, swimming for six days, then walking 3,000 miles to the Colosseum in Rome — for a dollar a day."
Indeed, the Olympics have evolved greatly. Nobody expected the event to be the grandiose showcase that it is today. Who knew that basketball would be one of the main draws of the event? West and the 1960 team didn't certainly did not predict it, but they are one of the reasons why basketball continues to grow every year.
Related: Oscar Robertson claims that a 1960 'Dream Team' would beat the 1992 Dream Team in a hypothetical showdown: "They never would have beat us, how could they?"
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