The United States Men’s Basketball team has won 13 gold medals. It has the distinction of having the best basketball players ever assembled on one team in 1992 when the Dream Team captivated the world with their dominating victories. So the question is what year did the USA Men’s team win their first gold medal?

A. 1936
B. 1941
C. 1951
D. 1939

The answer is A. Not only did the United States win their first gold medal in 1936, it was the first time basketball was allowed to become a sport in the Olympics. The stars for the USA Men’s team, Alex Groza and Ralph Beard. The first Olympic trials for the Men’s basketball team were held at the famous Madison Square Garden in New York City.

During the 1936 Summer Olympics, Spain was the United States’ first round opponent. However, due to the Spanish Civial War, the Spanish team was a no show. The match was considered a forfeit and the U.S had its first taste of victory on the global stage. The first victory vaulted the U.s. team to a 62-game winning streak.

USA faced off against Estonia in the second round and proved to be too much for the Europeans as they easily won 52-23. The next match was against Mexico. The U.S. team defeated Mexico 25 to 10. Up next in the championship round was Canada, where the U.S. held on to a 19-8 win to give the United Sates their first gold medal.

- John A. Roberts

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Tags | Alex Groza, Basketball, Dream Team Basektball, Madison Square Garden, Olympic Basketball, Ralph Beard