By being part of Team USA's gold-medal-winning squad at the Tokyo Olympics, the duo of Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton have put their names alongside some of the greats of the game.
The gold medal comes less than a month after they played invaluable roles in Milwaukee Bucks clinching the NBA title by defeating the Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the 2021 NBA Finals.
They are just the fifth and sixth players to win an NBA Championship and an Olympic gold medal in the same year.
Khris and Jrue join an exclusive club 🏆🥇
— ESPN (@espn) August 7, 2021
The other four:
- Kyrie Irving (2016)
- LeBron James (2012)
- Scottie Pippen (1996, 1992)
- Michael Jordan (1992) pic.twitter.com/lXF9KeLwWi
They are also only the second set of teammates to achieve this feat and the first since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen did so in 1992.
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Overall, since NBA players were allowed to participate in the Olympics, there have been only nine instances when a player has won an NBA title and a gold medal - either at the Olympics or the FIBA World Championships in the same year.
Here's a look at that complete list:
Player | Year | Country | NBA Team | Gold medal |
Khris Middleton | 2021 | USA | Milwaukee Bucks | Olympics |
Jrue Holiday | 2021 | USA | Milwaukee Bucks | Olympics |
Marc Gasol | 2019 | Spain | Toronto Raptors | World Cup |
Kyrie Irving | 2016 | USA | Cleveland Cavaliers | Olympics |
LeBron James | 2012 | USA | Miami Heat | Olympics |
Lamar Odom | 2010 | USA | Los Angeles Lakers | World Championship |
Scottie Pippen | 1996 | USA | Chicago Bulls | Olympics |
Scottie Pippen | 1992 | USA | Chicago Bulls | Olympics |
Michael Jordan | 1992 | USA | Chicago Bulls | Olympics |
Marc Gasol is the only international player to have achieved that feat. Meanwhile, Pippen is the only player to achieve the double of a title and gold medal twice.
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