Before the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, the 1984 United States Men’s Basketball team was regarded as the strongest collection of talent to hit the international hardwood. This was the final Olympic team made entirely of amateur players to win the gold medal, and four of the five 1984 consensus first-team All-American players started for the United States. Michael Jordan was the star of this team, and his fellow All-Americans Wayman Tisdale, Patrick Ewing, and Sam Perkins filled out the star-studded rotation. Competition for spots on this team was so fierce that the Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and John Stockton were both cut from the team. The United States swept aside the competition in Los Angeles, finishing with an 8-0 record as they defeated Spain 96-65 to win the gold medal.

The offered item is the gold medal presented to Wayman Tisdale for winning the 1984 Men’s Olympic Basketball tournament. The big-bodied power forward from the University of Oklahoma led the United States in rebounding during the Olympics, pulling down 6.4 rebounds per game and scoring at a clip of 8.6 points per contest. At Oklahoma, Tisdale was a transcendent star, winning three Big Eight Conference Player of the Year awards. He was the first college basketball player to be named a first-team All-American in his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons, averaging an incredible 25.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game during his three seasons and 104 games as a Sooner. Tisdale was selected with the second overall pick of the 1985 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers, and he would go on to star in the NBA for 12 seasons with the Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns. Tisdale was a man of many talents, releasing eight jazz albums as a skilled bassist.

This gold medal measures just under 2 ½ inches in diameter. One side is etched with a high-relief of a Greek sporting scene. The other side is etched with a high-relief depiction of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, as well as “XXIII OLYMPIAD LOS ANGELES 1984”. The medal, which weights approximately 143 grams, is attached to a pink, light orange, and turquoise ribbon. Also offered with this medal is a blue presentation box. Please note that the top half of the box is detached from the bottom half. This medal comes with a LOA from Regina Tisdale, the wife of the late Wayman Tisdale. 

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