6 Players to have won an NBA title and Olympic Gold in the same year
As the NBA players on Team USA defeated France in the men's basketball Finals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the country earned it's fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Team USA usually dominates the competition given the lopsided talent on the roster but this year, the games were close and there was real fear that USA might not win the gold medal.
However, Kevin Durant led the team with 29 points in the Finals and proved to the world that no country can compete with the USA in basketball.
Who has won an NBA title and Olympic gold medal in the same summer?
Draymond Green joins the list of just seven players who have won multiple gold medals and NBA titles. However, not every NBA champion gets the opportunity to bathe in champagne twice in the same year as the Summer Olympics take place once every four years.
Naturally, the list of players who have won an NBA title and Olympic gold medal in the same year is small so without further ado, let's take a look at those names.
#1 Michael Jordan
![Michael Jordan (center) at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics [Source: USA Today]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/0b1fc-16286027749532-800.jpg)
Arguably the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan is unsurprisingly on this list. After the 1988 bronze finish for Team USA at the Seoul Olympics, the country assembled the 'Dream Team' for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, led by Jordan and Magic Johnson.
The Dream Team cruised through the competition earning the gold medal with ease and Jordan earned his second Olympic gold medal.
Michael Jordan carried USA to the gold medal just weeks after winning the 1992 NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls. At this time, he was already a three-time MVP and two-time Finals MVP and he added a two-time Olympic gold medalist to his list of achievements.
Also read: All about Michael Jordan’s wife, Yvette Prieto?
Jordan and the Bulls defeated the Clyde Drexler-led Portland Trail Blazers in 6 games. MJ averaged 35.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game in the Finals on an astonishing 52/43/89 shooting split.
#2 Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen is the only player on this list to have done this twice in their career. He was part of the 1992 Dream Team along with Michael Jordan and also the Chicago Bulls. Pippen won the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics right after capturing his second NBA championship in the 1992 NBA Finals.
Pippen did so a second time when he captured the 1996 NBA championship with the Chicago Bulls, defeating the Seattle Supersonics in 6 games. He averaged 15.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in the 1996 NBA Finals to win his fourth NBA title.
Pippen then went on to win his second Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
#3 LeBron James
Arguably the best player in the game today, LeBron James also makes this list. The four-time MVP won his second Olympic gold medal and his first NBA title in the same summer. He finally conquered the NBA title with the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals after defeating the OKC Thunder in 5 games.
James averaged 27.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game in the series and earned Finals MVP.
He then led Team USA to a second consecutive gold medal finish in the 2012 London Olympics. James scored the second-ever Olympic triple-double (first in USA-Olympics history) in the 2012 Games, when he posted 11 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists. His 12 assists total is tied for the highest in USA Olympics history.