Bill Hougland died yesterday. Even to die-hard Olympic fans that is not a well-known name, but Hougland played basketball at the University of Kansas and won gold medals in basketball at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics. An AP story and obituary called him the first Olympian to win 2 gold medals in basketball but that was wrong. The first was Bob Kurland, who won gold medals for the US in 1948 and 1952.
Prior to NBA players being allowed to play in the Olympics, only 3 US Olympians won 2 gold medals in basketball – Kurland, Hougland, and Burdie Halldorson, who played in 1956 and 1960.
Of the multiple Olympic hoops gold medalists, there are 8 Soviet women from 1976-80, but all the others are American, as would be expected, given the US dominance in the sport. Here are the lists of Olympic basketball players to win multiple gold medals – first the men and then the women:
| Name | Gdr | NOC | Sport | Golds | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmelo Anthony | M | USA | BAS | 3 | 2008/2012/2016 |
| Bob Kurland | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1948/1952 |
| Bill Hougland | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1952/1956 |
| Burdie Haldorson | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1956/1960 |
| Patrick Ewing | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1984/1992 |
| Michael Jordan | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1984/1992 |
| Chris Mullin | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1984/1992 |
| David Robinson | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1992/1996 |
| Charles Barkley | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1992/1996 |
| Karl Malone | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1992/1996 |
| Scottie Pippen | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1992/1996 |
| John Stockton | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1992/1996 |
| Gary Payton | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 1996/2000 |
| Jason Kidd | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 2000/2008 |
| LeBron James | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 2008/2012 |
| Kobe Bryant | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 2008/2012 |
| Chris Paul | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 2008/2012 |
| Deron Williams | M | USA | BAS | 2 | 2008/2012 |
| Name | Gdr | NOC | Sport | Golds | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teresa Edwards | F | USA | BAS | 4 | 1984/1988/1996/2000 |
| Lisa Leslie | F | USA | BAS | 4 | 1996/2000/2004/2008 |
| Sue Bird | F | USA | BAS | 4 | 2004/2008/2012/2016 |
| Tamika Catchings | F | USA | BAS | 4 | 2004/2008/2012/2016 |
| Diana Taurasi | F | USA | BAS | 4 | 2004/2008/2012/2016 |
| Dawn Staley | F | USA | BAS | 3 | 1996/2000/2004 |
| Sheryl Swoopes | F | USA | BAS | 3 | 1996/2000/2004 |
| Katie Smith | F | USA | BAS | 3 | 2000/2004/2008 |
| Seimone Augustus | F | USA | BAS | 3 | 2008/2012/2016 |
| Olga Barysheva-Korostelyova | F | URS | BAS | 2 | 1976/1980 |
| Nelli Feryabnikova | F | URS | BAS | 2 | 1976/1980 |
| Tatyana Ovechkina | F | URS | BAS | 2 | 1976/1980 |
| Angelė Rupšienė | F | URS | BAS | 2 | 1976/1980 |
| Uļjana Semjonova | F | URS | BAS | 2 | 1976/1980 |
| Nadezhda Shuvayeva-Olkhova | F | URS | BAS | 2 | 1976/1980 |
| Olga Sukharnova | F | URS | BAS | 2 | 1976/1980 |
| Tetiana Zakharova-Nadyrova | F | URS | BAS | 2 | 1976/1980 |
| Anne Donovan | F | USA | BAS | 2 | 1984/1988 |
| Katrina McClain | F | USA | BAS | 2 | 1988/1996 |
| Ruthie Bolton-Holifield | F | USA | BAS | 2 | 1996/2000 |
| Nikki McCray | F | USA | BAS | 2 | 1996/2000 |
| Yolanda Griffith | F | USA | BAS | 2 | 2000/2004 |
| DeLisha Milton-Jones | F | USA | BAS | 2 | 2000/2008 |
| Tina Thompson | F | USA | BAS | 2 | 2004/2008 |
| Swin Cash | F | USA | BAS | 2 | 2004/2012 |
| Sylvia Fowles | F | USA | BAS | 2 | 2008/2012 |
| Candace Parker | F | USA | BAS | 2 | 2008/2012 |