USA Men's Senior National Team Program Selected USA Basketball's 2008 Male Athlete Of The Year

Colorado Springs, Colo. - Jan. 13, 2009

For just the second time in the 29-year history of USA Basketball's annual Male Athlete of the Year award, the honor has been bestowed to a team - the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team. The USA Basketball's Men's Senior National Team compiled a striking 36-1 win-loss record over three years (2006-2008), while claiming the 2008 Olympic gold medal, gold at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship and a bronze medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. The selection was made by the USA Basketball Board of Directors. The only other previous team recipient of the Male Athlete of the Year award was USA Basketball's historic 1992 U.S. Olympic Team, also known as the 'Dream Team.'

Members of the USA Men's Senior National Team include: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards); Shane Battier (Houston Rockets); Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets); Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs); Elton Brand (Philadelphia 76ers); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Tyson Chandler (New Orleans Hornets); Nick Collison (Oklahoma City Thunder); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards); Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks); Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks); Shawn Marion (Miami Heat); Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings); Mike Miller (Minnesota Timberwolves); Adam Morrison (Charlotte Bobcats); Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets); Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics); Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons); Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks); J.J. Redick (Orlando Magic); Luke Ridnour (Milwaukee Bucks); Amar'e Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns); Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat); and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz).

Jerry Colangelo was managing director of the Men's Senior National Team program, Duke University and Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski was head coach, while Jim Boeheim of Syracuse University, Mike D'Antoni of the New York Knicks and Nate McMillan of the Portland Trail Blazers served as assistant coaches.

'This is a remarkable and deserving acknowledgment to the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team,' said USA Basketball Executive Director Jim Tooley. 'It is that the entire team, and all those involved with the senior national team program the past

USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year Award Recipients
Year	Name	Year	Name
2008	USA Basketball Senior National Team	1993	Michael Finley
2007	Jason Kidd	1992	1992 U.S. Olympic Team
2006	Carmelo Anthony	1991	Christian Laettner
2005	Shelden Williams	1990	Alonzo Mourning
2004	Sean May / Chris Paul	1989	Larry Johnson
2003	Tim Duncan	1988	Dan Majerle
2002	Reggie Miller	1987	Danny Manning
2001	Chris Duhon	1986	David Robinson
2000	Alonzo Mourning	1985	Chuck Person
1999	Gary Payton	1984	Michael Jordan / Sam Perkins
1998	Elton Brand	1983	Michael Jordan
1997	Earl Boykins	1982	Glenn Rivers
1996	Scottie Pippen	1981	Kevin Boyle
1995	Ray Allen	1980	Isiah Thomas
1994	Shaquille O'Neal

three summers be recognized for its tremendous accomplishments that culminated in the Olympic gold medal. As important as their on-court accomplishments was the first-class manner in which the players and coaches represented the United States and USA Basketball.'

'The coaching staff, the USA Basketball staff, and I believed that to select just one player from the team for this award would be an injustice to everything the players and coaches did to play as one, and to represent the United States in the positive manner they did,' stated Colangelo. 'There is no mistaking that we built a team in every sense of what that means. Each and every player who made the commitment to the USA Basketball Senior National Team program had a hand in the success we were able to achieve and so the senior team is deserving of this honor.'

'There were many great individual performances, but none rise above the team effort that was  given every day, whether it was in practice or a game,' said Krzyzewski, USA head coach. 'Bringing together so much talent was easy because all of the players committed to Jerry Colangelo three years ago and said they wanted to be part of a team. Jerry told them - 'we're going to have one collective ego but we want you to bring all your egos because that's how you get better.' We did not have one second of problem as a coaching staff with our team. It was the greatest experience of my life and the lives of the other coaches.'

After a disappointing bronze medal result in the 2004 Athens Olympics, and without a gold medal finish in a major international competition since the 2000 Olympics, USA Basketball in 2005 set off in a totally new direction and initiated a USA Men's Senior National Team program.

Setting aside the committee system used for selecting its senior teams, Colangelo was selected by USA Basketball's Executive Committee to serve in the newly created position of managing director of the USA Men's Senior National Team Program for 2005 2008.

Building a program that ultimately consisted of 33 of this country's best players and the very best coaches, Colangelo and USA Basketball proceeded to create a true Senior National Team program that requested a three-year commitment from its coaches and players.

Over the three years, Colangelo and Krzyzewski successfully built a true team, a team that demonstrated dedication; commitment; hard work; passion; selflessness; teamwork; respect for the game; respect for opponents; and respect for their teammates and coaches.

Success, however, was not immediately realized. In 2006, after compiling a 5-0 record in exhibition games in Las Vegas, Nev., Seoul, South Korea, and Guangzhou, China, the USA squad fell in the FIBA World Championship semifinals and finished with an 8-1 record to claim the bronze medal.

Prior to practice on July 22, 2006 in Las Vegas, USA coaches and members of the Senior National Team pose with U.S. Army Colonel Robert B. Brown and three injured Army soldiers who served in Iraq. (Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE /Getty Images)

As a team, the U.S. finished ranked among the top leading teams in almost every offensive statistical category at the 2006 World Championship. The USA finished ranked first in scoring offense (103.6), first in field goal percentage (.503%), first in assists (18.78), first in free throws made (182), first in assist turnover ratio (1.74), and ranked second in scoring margin (+20.4) and third in rebounding margin (+5.6). On the defensive statistical side, the U.S. also ranked first in steals (10.78), second in turnover margin (+7.44) and second in blocked shots (4.89).

Selected for the 2006 USA Basketball Men's World Championship Team were: Anthony; Battier; Bosh; Brand; Hinrich; Howard; James; Jamison; Johnson; Brad Miller; Paul; and Wade.

In 2007, year two, the Americans continued to build its program and finished 10-0 to claim gold at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas. By winning the zone championship, the USA men accomplished their number one goal of qualifying for the 2008 Olympic basketball competition.

The USA at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship averaged 116.7 points a game, the most by a USA men's senior national team since the 1994 USA World Championship Team averaged 120.1 points a game; and the Americans defeated their 10 opponents by an average of 39.5 points per game, the largest margin of victory by a USA senior squad since the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team defeated its opponents by 43.8 points a contest.

The USA led the FIBA Americas Championship overall team statistical rankings in 13 of the 17 categories. The U.S. shot 58.7 percent from the field, 47.0 percent from 3-point and 72.0 percent from the foul line. The USA averaged 59.7 points by halftime of its 10 games, and its average lead at halftime was 23.0 points. An astounding 61.7 percent of the team's made field goals were assisted on during the championship.

The 2007 USA Team defeated their 10 opponents by an average of 39.5 points per game, the largest margin of victory by a USA senior squad since the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team defeated its opponents by 43.8 points a contest. (Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE /Getty Images)

The 2007 squad also rewrote eight USA team records for Olympic qualifying action and added a pair of single game marks, while USA players wrote themselves into eight single game records and four competition records.

The 2007 USA Men's FIBA Americas Championship Team included: Anthony; Billups; Bryant; Chandler; Howard; James; Kidd; Mike Miller; Prince; Redd; Stoudemire; and Williams.

Culminating the three-years with a magnificent gold medal performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the USA team compiled an 8-0 record and over the course of its eight games, recorded an average margin of victory of over 27 points a game. The USA's 27.8 ppg. margin of victory is the most since the 1996 Olympic squad won by an average margin of 31.7 ppg. In preparation of the Olympics, the USA squad finished 5-0 in its series of exhibition games, winning games in Las Vegas and Macao and Shanghai, China.

Among the 12 teams at the Olympics, the USA finished ranked first in 11 of 19 team statistical categories and ranked second in another four. The U.S. led the field in scoring offense (106.2), scoring margin (+27.8), field goal percentage (.550%), defensive field goal percentage (.403%), defensive 3 point field goal percentage (.299%), rebounding (41.5), defensive rebounds (29.63), assists (18.75), steals (12.13), blocked shots (3.88) and assist/turnover ratio (+1.36). Members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team were: Anthony; Boozer; Bosh; Bryant; Howard; James; Kidd; Paul; Prince; Redd; Wade and Williams.

In claiming the gold in Beijing, the USA featured a true team that was 12 deep. Five players finished with double digit scoring averages and eight players averaged between 16.0 ppg. and 8.0 ppg.

'What you saw today was a team. Everybody wants to talk about NBA players being selfish, being arrogant, being individuals. What you saw today was a team bonding together, facing adversity and coming off here with a big win,' Bryant stated shortly after the U.S. had defeated Spain in the gold medal contest.

In its 29th year, the USA Basketball Athlete of the Year award has been garnered by notable athletes such as Jason Kidd (2007); Carmelo Anthony (2006); Shelden Williams (2005); Sean May (2004 co-recipient); Chris Paul (2004 co-recipient); Tim Duncan (2003); Reggie Miller (2002); Chris Duhon (2001); Alonzo Mourning (2000 and 1990); Gary Payton (1999); Elton Brand (1998); Earl Boykins (1997); Scottie Pippen (1996 and as a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team); Ray Allen (1995); Shaquille O'Neal (1994); Michael Finley (1993); Christian Laettner (1991); Larry Johnson (1989); Dan Marjerle (1988); David Robinson (1986 and as a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team); Chuck Person (1985); Michael Jordan (1984 co-recipient, 1983 and as a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team), Sam Perkins (1984 co-recipient); Glenn Rivers (1982); Kevin Boyle (1981); and Isiah Thomas (1980).

USA Basketball

Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the United States by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions.