Kicks On Court Classic // The 2000 USA Olympic Team

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words // Nick DePaula:

Over time, the 1992 and 1996 US Olympic teams have certainly lived on as iconic and transcendent rosters, and while often overlooked, the 2000 team that also earned Gold at the Sydney Olympics certainly lived up to the expectations of the dominant USA Basketball program.

Headlined by a prime-era Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett and the explosive dunks of Vince Carter, the 2000 team faced a few challenges throughout the tournament as the world was soon catching up to its level of play, unlike the cruising 40-point wins of the two teams before it.

Nike was just launching its Shox column cushioning platform, which couldn’t have had a better introduction thanks to Carter leapfrogging a 7’2″ human on the global stage. In addition to VC, we also saw JKidd, Allan Houston, Antonio McDyess and Shareef Abdur-Rahim each wear the new Shox BB4.

Jordan brandmates Ray Allen and Vin Baker each wore Retro VIs throughout the tourney, showing love to the era of Michael’s ’92 Dream Team. A mini-fro sporting Gary Payton wore several clean white and navy editions of his signature Zoom GP II, and even painted the toe tip gold down the stretch of the medal rounds.

While GP may have customized his pair, the 2000 Olympics were influential for Team USA in that it was the first Olympics that Nike created special edition Gold Medal game sneakers. At the time, it was undeniably, incredibly arrogant. Regardless, Vince and the crew took the floor in a Navy / Gold colorway of the Shox BB4, and KG donned an awesome Navy / Gold Flightposite II.

Check out all of the 2000 US Olympic team’s best Kicks On Court below in our latest Classic edition, along with a look at a classic all-gold Jason Kidd photoshoot. Stay tuned for a look at the much scrutinized 2004 team tomorrow.

Dice 1
Antonio McDyess — Nike Shox BB4
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GP 1 GP 2 2000 Olympics GP 2 GP 3 GP 2000 1
Gary Payton — Nike Zoom GP II
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H20 FP1
Allan Houston — Nike Flightposite 1
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H20 Shox BB4
Allan Houston — Nike Shox BB4
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JKidd 1 Shox BB4 JKidd 3
Jason Kidd — Nike Shox BB4
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JKidd 4
Jason Kidd — Nike Shox BB4 “Gold Medal”
_____JKidd Gold BTS FP1 JKidd Gold FP1
Jason Kidd — Nike Flightposite 1
_____KG 2000 Garnett 3Kevin Garnett — Nike Air Garnett 3 prototype
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SYDNEY- SEPTEMBER 28: Kevin Garnett #10 of the USA gets ready to guard his player in the Mens Basketball game against Russia on September 28, 2000 during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games at "The Dome" in Sydeny, Australia. (Photo by: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

KG FP2 1 B KG FP2 1
Kevin Garnett — Nike Flightposite II “OBF”
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KG FP2 2 KG FP2 3

SYDNEY - SEPTEMBER 30: Kevin Garnett of the United States National Team shows off his sneakers against the French National team during the 2000 Summer Olympics played September 30, 2000 in Sydney, Australia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2000 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

KG FP2 5

Kevin Garnett — Nike Flightposite II “Gold Medal”
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21 Sep 2000: Ray Allen of the USA in action during the Men's Basketball Preliminaries against Lithuania at the Dome in the Olympic Park on Day Six of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport

Ray AJ VI 6 Olympics
Ray Allen — Air Jordan Retro 6
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Reef Carbide
Shareef Abdur-Rahim — Nike Air Force Carbide
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Reef Shox BB4

Shareef Abdur-Rahim — Nike Shox BB4
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Reef Shox BB4 Gold
Shareef Abdur-Rahim — Nike Shox BB4 “Gold Medal”
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 Steve Smith Reebok Exchange DMX
Steve Smith — Reebok Exchange DMX
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TBug Carbide 2 TBug Carbide
Tim Hardaway — Nike Air Force Carbide
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TBug Garnett III PETim Hardaway — Nike Air Garnett III PE
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20000831 SPT - USA Olympic player Vince Carter looks for an open man as Canadian player Sherman Hamilton trails behind in a game on Thursday night. SB photo by George F. Lee

Vince Carter — Nike Air Force Carbide
_____VC 1 Shox BB4

25 Sep 2000: Vince Carter of the USA leaps over Frederic Weis of France to dunk during the Mens Basketball Preliminaries at the Dome in the Olympic Park on Day 10 of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Mandatory Credit: Darren McNamara/Allsport

VC 2 Shox BB4

Vince Carter — Nike Shox BB4
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SYDNEY - SEPTEMBER 30: Vince Carter of the United States National Team shows off his sneakers against the French National team during the 2000 Summer Olympics played September 30, 2000 in Sydney, Australia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2000 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Vince Carter — Nike Shox BB4 “Gold Medal” 
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17 Sep 2000: Vin Baker of the USA up against Ming Yao of China during the Men's Basketball Preliminaries at the Sydney Superdome on Day Two of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport

Vin AJ VI 6
Vin Baker — Air Jordan Retro 6
_____Vin Jordan Camp 23
Vin Baker — Jordan Camp 23
_____Zo Force Authority 2 Zo Force AuthorityAlonzo Mourning — Nike Air Force Authority
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2000 KG VC Gold 2000 Olympics-NBA-Team-USA-2000.vadapt.767.high.23 2000-0930-Tim-Hardaway-Vince-Carter-Kevin-Garnett-Ray-Allen-001083813 copy 2000-Kevin-Garnett-Vince-Carter-001083815

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