Why are professional basketball players allowed on the US Olympics team?

The US “Dream Team,” in 1992, was the first time professional players were allowed to play.
Most countries, especially then, didn’t even have professional basketball leagues. Now. There are lots of different leagues throughout the world.
Most of the best players, from around the world, play in the NBA, because it’s currently the zenith of competition.

The “Dream Team,” was mix of some if the sports Most defining legends. Michael Jordan led a team, that to many now, could never be beaten.

It’s important to note, that international players in the NBA, usually play for their respective countries of origin.
This Olympics, the US men’s Bball team almost lost to Serbia. A big reason is a player named Nikola Jokic. A player who plays for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, and who is regarded as one of the best players in the world.

In the championship game, the US faced another European phenom, in “Wemby,” who although he plays for the NBA’s Spurs, represented his home nation of France.

So. It’s ot like we are the only ones with pros playing.

In the 1988 Olympic games, Russia beat the US, and there were issues related to their team, and some of their players possibly violating the then current rules of no pros.

The US, and some other countries, had the Olympic rules people discuss it. Eventually. They decided that professional players, could play. And there wasn’t really much reason for why they couldn’t.

The “Dream Team,” is largely considered “The best sports team EVER assembled.”

There were times, in this year’s games, when the US team had to play at their peak, because the world’s Bball teams, are getting better, and better.

Although one may be tempted to opine that a collection of random professional players could never be beaten. The truth, is basketball IS a team sport.
Most Olympic teams, have been playing together, since they were kids. Team chemistry, has many times, in many sports, shown that it can be superior to a better collection of talent, that is not as cohesive a unit.

MY favorite example, is when my Detroit Pistons, defeated arguably the best professional collection of players that were brought to The Lakers, with the sole purpose of essentially buying a championship. That Lakers team, had Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, and more. (All hall of fame/legends.)

The Pistons, led by a point guard in Chauncey Billups, who was basically a coach playing, were HEAVY underdogs. Many thought that the series would be an easy win for The Lakers, and weren’t thrilled with the championship games being boring.
The Pistons, simply were a better “team” of men. Likely, none of them individually, were the equal to their Laker competition. But. The Pistons win the 2003–04 NBA championship.
(Let’s not speak of us now…)

But yeah. You could even probably look at it, as a product of the competition and relationships between Russia and the US, in the cold war, as a variable.

Mad props, to team USA this time! Gold baby! Suck it world!~

In the 1990’s the whole amateur professional line became blurred in almost all categories of the Olympics.

The US is one of the few countries that the government doesn’t help olympic athletes, other countries have government money help fund the training or pay some expenses for the athletes. The communist countries used to literally pay and support their athletes so they could focus solely on training. It was unfair to not let US athletes make money when communists basically were earning a living from their sport. Back in the day these inequities were not just felt in the US and say Russia or China, but many countries in-between.

Even now, many athletes from countries other than the US get paid big cash amounts for a gold medal, Americans don’t get nearly as much as some other countries.

US competitors and other countries hope for sponsors and advertising deals to profit from their dedication and skill as olympic athletes.

I don’t think it makes much sense to try to separate professional from amateur, especially today with all the stuff that goes into training the olympians.
You can not seriously look at current competitors and say “yup, those are totally amateurs”. You don’t win medals with amateurs.

@canidmajor

”@MrGrimm888 TL; DR. Even skimming I couldn’t find an actual answer in there. Maybe I missed it? Can you render it down to a couple of sentences, please?”

In the US, there are 2 pro basketball leagues: the NBA and the WNBA.
Some of these players are citizens and/or residents of other countries. A lot of them play for their respective countries, instead of for the US during the Olympics.
So professional players are also allowed to play for the teams of other countries.

In the 2024 women’s Olympic Gold Medal game, France lost to the US by 1 point with about 1 second left in the game.

Slightly unrelated: If you are interested, here is what athletes get paid if they medal by country. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incentives_for_Olympic_medalists_by_country

@Brian1946 Thanks, but your post doesn’t address specifically US players, as @janbb asked.

It didn’t start with basketball. The reason pros began playing in the Olympics is because up until the 1980s, the Soviet Hockey Team was essentially professional level, but they could not leave the USSR to play in the NHL

The best hockey players in the world were playing in the NHL, but the US Hockey Team was all amateurs, and barely beat the USSR in 1960 and 1980.

When everyone realized the Eastern bloc had essentially pro athletes, the IOC changed the eligibility rules.

“In the 1988 Olympic games, Russia beat the US, and there were issues related to their team, and some of their players possibly violating the then current rules of no pros.”

“The US, and some other countries, had the Olympic rules people discuss it..Eventually. They decided that professional players, could play.. And there wasn’t really much reason for why they couldn’t.”

From @MrGrimm888 ‘s answer. ^^^^

The U.S.S.R. / Russia had Olympic team members that were in the military with no military requirements for duty . . . paid team members in 1988.

@canidmajor

Perhaps @Tropical_Willie“s excerpt from @MrGrimm888‘s post will answer your and @janbb‘s question.

Professional players are allowed to play on the US Olympic teams for the same reasons that they’re allowed to play on the Ozempic team of any other country. ;-p

That does help, thanks.

I mentioned the “Dream Team,” because it was (to me) what got most of the attention, at the time.
The way they dominated all competition, had a LOT of nations calling it an unfair advantage to use NBA players.
As I mentioned, (and JL) the Russians, and certainly other countries would pull a kid off a playground, and train him and others like him, until they were no longer useful.
It was, in many ways, more advantageous than say a US player having to keep making starting rosters through school, and then having to have amazing college performances, also against other players who worked their way into position to even be considered an NBA player. To be clear, there was a MASSIVE difference in talent in the US NBA, and that of the rest of the world at that time.
The NBA, at that time, was more than a “professional” sport. It was a time when there were some of THE best players ever to play, playing in the NBA.
The game was just straight different. When the US put those specific players together, it was going to change Olympic history. They won, before they ever played a game.
As I said, * foreign players who play in the NBA, are not relegated to having to play for the US, just because they play in the NBA.
THAT is VERY important to note, after the most recent games.
Because those elite players that are from other countries, usually play for their respective nation’s Olympic team. And this year, the way the US best several teams, we got some people complaining about pros playing.
The US, leaned heavily on LeBron James, Steph Curry, later in the last few games.
If anyone has EVER watched Curry rain 3’s on game night, it almost seems unfair. He is by far the best “shooter,” history has ever known.
In games versus Serbia, and France, those teams kept getting close to taking and keeping a lead. Curry, was a stone cold killer. He embarrassed some VERY talented players and coaches, and was making gestures that upset the other teams, helpless from stopping him.
LeBron always looks superhuman. This was his 4th time representing the US, in the Olympics.
Even though he is arguably slowed some by his advanced age, he was a leader and made “effort plays” on both sides of the ball. And in those times teams gave others respect, James almost effortlessly charged “open” lanes.
It’s difficult to explain how amazingly fast, James can move the ball to the rim. It takes him just a few steps, to get from the 3 point line, to the basket.
It’s deflating, and impossible to keep up, when any lead you get is so easily erased.
Our depth afforded us the ability to play Kevin Durant, off the bench. He was his usual “I hot what I shoot” self, from anywhere.
I won’t go through the whole roster.
But. My point was, “Wemby” on France, and Jokic on Serbia, ARE professional NBA players. Elite ones, at that.

The US men’s basketball Olympic teams, are THE team to hate. Every four years, they get the best from each team they face.
This year, as I mentioned. Some people were pissed about pros in the games again.
I assumed that was why this thread was started…

The gap is getting smaller, and one day, the US BBall team will just be another Olympic team.

But. “Professional,” and words like it, are subjective.
I’m actually fairly certain that the US, never really thought of using NBA players. They just wanted it to be fair. When the decision came down that pros could play, a LOT of people looked at each other and smiled. The rest, is history.

The Russians do it, when they are there. So, why not??