USA - Teresa Edwards, David Robinson selected as 2008 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame finalists

COLORADO SPRINGS (National team) - The United States Olympic Committee today announced the finalists for the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2008 and listed among the finalists are five-time Olympian Teresa Edwards, three-time Olympian David Robinson and the historic 1992 ‘Dream Team’ that captured gold at the Barcelona Olympics.

The USOC invites the public to vote online at usolympichalloffame.com to help determine who will comprise the next class of inductees. Six individual Olympians, one Olympic team and one Paralympian, along with a coach, a veteran and a special contributor, will be honored during the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The awards-show style ceremony will take place at 7:00 p.m. (CT) on June 19 at the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater in Chicago, Ill. Additionally, a nationally-televised special will enable sports fans across the United States to re-live the moments that catapulted the Class of 2008 inductees to U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame status. Additional information regarding the telecast of the induction ceremony will be released at a later date.

Envisioned as a lasting tribute to the pursuit of excellence and the Olympic ideals, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was established to celebrate the achievements of America’s premier athletes in the modern Olympic Games.

"USA Basketball is elated to see patriots like Teresa Edwards, David Robinson and the ‘92 Dream Team on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame ballot," said USA Basketball executive director Jim Tooley. "Edwards and Robinson are two of the most respected and talented athletes to don a USA Basketball uniform. They represented their country with pride and excellence and are true ambassadors for this country and the game. Undoubtedly one of the best basketball teams ever fielded was the 1992 Dream Team as evidenced by its worldwide popularity and the fact that 10 team members were named among the NBA’s 50 greatest players of all time."

Edwards, the most decorated Olympic basketball player on the planet, is the only U.S. female athlete to garner gold medals in four different Olympiads. She won gold in 1984, 1988, 1996 and 2000, while returning with the bronze medal in 1992. Edwards is also the USA’s only five-time Olympic basketball player and one of only three five-time Olympic basketball athletes in the world to ever play the game (Oscar Schmidt, Brazil, no medals; Andrew Gaze, Australia, no medals). Edwards, a four-time USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year and one of the most respected players in international women’s basketball history, first put on a USA uniform at the age of 17 at the 1981 U.S. Olympic Festival and was a fixture on USA Basketball teams for nearly two decades. Of a possible 18 medals competing for USA Basketball, she won 14 gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Additionally, Edwards was voted by 1996 U.S. Olympic Team captains to take the Olympic Oath on behalf of all Olympic competitors at the 1996 Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies.

The USA’s only male three-time Olympic basketball player, Robinson competed in his first Olympiad in 1988, earning a bronze medal. He was then named to the 1992 and 1996 Olympic teams and aided those squads to gold. A 1987 U.S. Naval Academy graduate with a mathematics degree, Robinson, who took a leave of absence from the Navy to compete on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team, honored a commitment to serve two years in the Navy before joining the NBA. Defined by his actions off the court even more than on the court, in recognition of his outstanding efforts in 2003 the NBA renamed its award for outstanding charitable efforts after Robinson. The monthly NBA Community Assist Award winners now receive the David Robinson Plaque.

The historic 1992 Dream Team was never challenged in its eight-game run to the gold medal as a new era of international basketball made its debut. Featuring eventual 1996 Olympic gold medalist Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, 1984 Olympic gold medalist Patrick Ewing, Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, 1984 Olympic gold medalist Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner, eventual 1996 Olympic gold medalist Karl Malone, 1984 Olympic gold medalist Chris Mullin, eventual 1996 Olympic gold medalist Scottie Pippen , eventual three-time Olympian Robinson and eventual 1996 Olympic gold medalist John Stockton, the U.S. squad averaged an Olympic record 117.3 points a game. In fact, the USA won by an average of 43.8 points and the closest any opponent could come was 32 points (117-85 versus Croatia in the gold medal game).

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