The curtain has fallen on the Paris Olympics, with the US men’s basketball team successfully defeating the French team to retain their title.
Richard Jefferson, a former member of the 2004 Athens Olympic US men’s basketball team (Dream Team VI), talked about the current US men’s basketball team’s incredible depth in his podcast,
“Seeing their lineup brings mixed feelings. I keep thinking, man, if only we had Curry back then. Yes, that’s what we were truly missing. You see, in 2004 (Athens Olympics), Ray Allen pulled out, Mike Bibby pulled out, Jason Kidd pulled out, Chauncey Billups refused to join us, and Richard Hamilton also refused. Who else? Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter (neither participated in the Olympics)… So, when I see that we still managed to win a beautiful bronze medal, I don’t want to hear any nonsense.”
The 2004 US team roster: Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Richard Jefferson, Shawn Marion, Lamar Odom, Emeka Okafor, Amar’e Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade.
Among them, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony had just finished their rookie seasons, Carlos Boozer and Amar’e Stoudemire were second-year players, Richard Jefferson was in his third year, and Emeka Okafor was the No. 2 pick of the 2004 draft, who hadn’t officially entered the NBA yet. This Dream Team VI was predominantly made up of young players but still included members of the illustrious 1996 draft class like Stephon Marbury and Allen Iverson, as well as superstar Tim Duncan.