By the year 2000, the face of professional basketball was changing; more foreign players emerged as NBA level talent.  As a result of the shift, competition from national basketball teams became more heated.  It became obvious that the 2000 Olympic games may not be as certain of a victory for the U.S. as in previous years. In the semi-final game, the United States only barely slipped past Lithuania by two points, winning the game 85-83.

On this day, September 30th, in 2000, the U.S. Olympic Men’s basketball team won its 12th Gold medal with a victory over France.  The game was played live by NBC and featured a close battle with France, until the U.S. eventually pulled away.  The final score was 85-75.

The U.S. went undefeated at the 2000 Sydney Games, but it became obvious that U.S. domination was not quite the same.  The 2000 games may have possibly been foreshadowing for the 2004 Olympic games, which would later be the most disappointing showing by the U.S. national team in Olympic history.