NBHHCM Honors the 35th Anniversary of '76 Team USA Olympic Hoops

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NBHHCM Honors the 35th Anniversary of '76 Team USA Olympic Hoops

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July 18, 2011- The NBHHCM (National Basketball & Hip-Hop Culture Month) Foundation is saluting the 35th Anniversary of the men's USA Olympic Basketball Team that won the gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada.

The 1976 Olympic Team was coached by Dean Smith the legendary coach from the University of N. Carolina. Smith would later coach during the early 1980's two future NBA Champion and Hall of Fame players James Worthy (1985, 87, 88), and Michael Jordan (1991-93, 1996-98).

Jordan is considered by many as the greatest player of all-time.

Team USA started the '76 Summer Olympics basketball play today 35-years ago with a 106-86 win vs. Italy. They finished the 1976 Olympic Games with a perfect 7-0 record. Team USA scored 95-points in both the semi-final and gold medal games vs. Canada and Yugoslavia.

The 12-member team was led by 3 future back-to-back-to-back NBA Rookies of the Year Adrian Dantley (1977), Walter Davis (1978), and Phil Ford (1979).

Dantley the star-forward from Notre Dame led the team in scoring with 19.3 ppg. average. Dantley is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Fame (inducted 2008). He was drafted by the Buffalo Braves in the 1976 NBA Draft (6th overall). He finished his 15-year NBA career with 23,177 points (24.3 ppg average).

Walter Davis the star-guard of the Phoenix Suns was taken 5th overall in the 1977 NBA Draft. Davis averaged 19 ppg. for his 15-year NBA career scoring 19,521 career points.

Phil Ford a team-mate of Davis at the University of  N. Carolina was the 1979 NBA Rookie of the Year scored 5,594 points over a 7-year NBA career. Ford the second overall pick of the 1978 NBA Draft didn't live up to the expectations of being such a high draft pick.

Two other members of the 1976 Olympic Team became NBA General Mangers Ernie Grunfeld and Mitch Kupchak.

Grunfeld has been the General Manager of the New York Knicks (1989-1999), Milwaukee Bucks (1999-2003), and is the current G.M. of the Washington Wizards (2003-present). He's regarded as one the best G.M.'s in the league.

Kupchak has been in the front office of the LA Lakers since his retirement in 1986. He has been the front office face of the Lakers since the 1999-00 season. The Lakers have won 5 NBA titles during his tenure.

The 7 other Team USA players were Tate Armstrong, Quinn Buckner, Kenny Carr, Philip Hubbard, Tom LaGarde, Scott May, and Steve Sheppard.

Buckner and May were players on the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers (32-0) that won the National Championship. The 1976 Hoosiers were the last Division 1 college team to go undefeated on the entire season.

Basketball History Note:

The 1976 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was held on July 17, 1976 exactly one-month (June 17, 1976) after the NBA/ABA merger was announced to the public.

The "Slam Dunk" that was banned from college basketball from 1967 to 1976 was lifted.