The Most Badass Moments in Team USA Basketball History

From the OG Dream Team (1960, son!) to Vince Carter's Dunk of Death.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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So far, USA basketball hasn't missed a step. Both the men's and the women's squads are proving why they're the best in the world. The men are on a mission to win gold for the second straight time while the women shoot for their fifth straight. That's right, the women are on their way to accomplish a feat that the men haven't done since 1968.

The US has been the benchmark of Olympic basketball since 1936. They've won 16 straight medals (24 if you count the women's 8) since then and are looking to add a few more to that number. There's been a lot of big moments during that time frame on both sides. Like the time Kobe Bryant blew up in the fourth quarter of the 2008 gold medal game in Beijing or when Jordan and Pippen shut Toni Kukoc down. This year's men's team already had a badass moment when a player from Tunisia asked Kobe for an autograph. Check out the rest of The Most Badass Moments in Team USA Basketball History.

Related: Gallery: The Progression of the Team USA Basketball Uniform
Related: Fantasy Basketball: Which American City Could Field the Best Team of Homegrown Players?

16. D-Wade and The Black Mamba Connect for the Ill Alley-Oop

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15. Kobe Signs a Tunisian Player's Kicks

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14. Charles Barkley Being Charles Barkley

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13. Bobby Knight Ethers the Soviets

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12. The Dream Team vs. the College Select Team

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11. The Redeem Team

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10. First Gold

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9. 63 Straight Wins

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8. 16 Straight Medals

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7. The Mamba Goes in For the Kill

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6. FOH with those Silver Medals

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5. Pippen & Jordan vs. Kukoc

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4. The Dunk of Death

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3. The US Women Dominate

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2. The 1960 Team

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1. The Dream Team

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