Tokyo, Japan • October 11-23 , 1964

Even though head coach Hank Iba had a spectacular pool of talent, the 1964 U.S. team began competition wary that their reign as the world's best may be on the line. With the Soviets having made great strides on offense, the USSR was considered a co-favorite for the Olympic gold.

Entering the 1964 Games riding a 37-game Olympic winning streak, the U.S. hopes of extending that streak were clouded by the possibility of a boycott of the Olympics by black American athletes. The boycott never happened and black players, who since the 1956 Olympics had become an important part of the U.S. Olympic basketball program, secured five places on the 1964 USA team.

Finding the path through the preliminary competition relatively easy, the U.S. defeated, in order, Australia, 78-45; Finland, 77-51; Peru, 60-45; Uruguay, 83-28; Yugoslavia, 69-61; Brazil, 86-53, and South Korea, 116-50.

Facing Puerto Rico in the semifinals, the American's, behind Larry Brown's 16 points and 14 more from Jerry Shipp, routed Puerto Rico 62-42 to earn the right to play in the gold medal game.

The Olympic Games final contest featured a pair of unbeaten teams. Both the USA and USSR men entered the gold medal clash boasting of 8-0 records. The Soviet Union jumped out to an early lead over the Americans, but the Soviets' star player, Alexander Petrov, logged four early fouls. The U.S. narrowed the margin to 16-13 at the 10-minute mark and from that point on Iba's troops finally got their running game into gear. The U.S. took control and by half had built a 39-31 advantage. Continuing to rely on its fast break, the U.S. cruised on to an impressive 73-59 victory. Lucious Jackson led the Americans in the gold medal game with 17 points, Joe Caldwell added 14, and Bill Bradley and Jerry Shipp each accounted for 10 points.

In the process of capturing their sixth straight Olympic gold medal, the USA men extended their Olympic unbeaten string to 46 games. Shipp led the U.S. scoring attack, averaging 12.4 points-a-game, while Bradley and Jackson averaged 10.1 points and 10.0 points, respectively.

1964 U.S. MEN'S OLYMPIC TEAM ROSTER

1964 U.S. MEN'S OLYMPIC TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS