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Many college basketball players have left their mark in the most awaited event for every sport fan.
Every four years, the world stops to celebrate one of its most wholesome traditions: the Summer Olympic Games. This year, the City of Light will host this joyous occasion. Rightly so, considering the father of the modern Olympic Games, Baron de Coubertin, was a native of Paris.
If Greece is the ancient home of the Games, France has to be considered its second home. Paris becomes the second city, after London, to host the event on three occasions.
The ideals of the Olympics bring forth the best of mankind, summarized by the Olympic Spirit. The Games are a celebration of mankind, in which the nations of the world unite to chase glory in the spirit of fair play. They continue the Ancient Greek tradition of the Olympic truce, in which the polis of old allowed athletes from all over Greece to travel to Olympia in spite of any conflict.
"The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play."
Participating in the Games is the highest honor in the lifelong careers of athletes. Few achievements, if any, are considered more important in sports than earning an Olympic gold medal for your nation. Today, in honor of the opening of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris, we bring you a list of the top five college basketball players to participate in the Games.
5 Best College Basketball Players to Participate in the Olympic Games
No. 5: Kevin Durant — Texas
Durant spent only one season with the Longhorns (2006-07), averaging 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. For his efforts, he won the Naismith and John R. Wooden Awards, and he was the National College Player of the Year.
He has the average-points record by Team USA in the Olympic Games (19.7) and has been a key piece of the gold-medal-winning teams of London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020. He'll be looking for his fourth gold medal in Paris.
No. 4: David Robinson — Navy
Robinson was the bright spot in a Seoul 1988 team that only managed to get the bronze medal. Straight out of having played for Annapolis, the first pick of the 1987 NBA Draft (although he wouldn't play for San Antonio until 1989, due to Navy commitments) averaged 12.8 points per game while leading the team with 6.8 rebounds that summer.
He had 19 blocked shots throughout the Seoul Olympic Games, which is still a record for the United States. He was the National College Player of the Year in 1987. He got his revenge with the Dream Team in Barcelona 1992 and got a second gold medal in Atlanta 1996.
No. 3: Charles Barkley — Auburn
Here is another member of the famed 1992 Dream Team, but a full-fledged starter this time. Barkley played for the Auburn Tigers, being the SEC Player of the Year in 1984. This was the first time the US sent NBA players to compete in the Olympic Games, and it showed. Team USA won all of its games with more than 100 points, and Barkley was the top scorer in three out of eight.
No. 2: Adrian Dantley — Notre Dame
Dantley was twice a Consensus All-American for the Fighting Irish, with whom he played between 1973 and 1976. In '76, he led the U.S. to a gold medal in the Montreal Games. He was the top scorer for Team USA, averaging 19.3 points, a record that stood until 2012 before Durant broke it.
No. 1: Michael Jordan — North Carolina
Did anyone think this list was going to end with any other name? Jordan won two gold medals at the Olympic Games: one in Los Angeles 1984 and the other in Barcelona 1992.
His 256 total points rank him fifth in the all-time scoring table, with an average of 16 points per game. In 1992 he led the U.S. in scoring in three games. He's tied for the first place of most assists in a single game, with 12. He also has the most steals in a single game. With the Tar Heels, he won the national championship in 1982 and was the National College Basketball Player of the Year in 1984.
