Steve Kerr on Team USA's World Cup Loss to Germany: 'This Is Not 1992 Anymore'

Following Team USA's 113-111 loss to Germany in the 2023 FIBA World Cup semifinals on Friday, head coach Steve Kerr made it clear that there are no longer any gimmes for the United States on the international stage.

While speaking to reporters after the game, Kerr noted that international talent has improved significantly since the days of the Dream Team winning every contest in blowout fashion:

"It means the game has been globalized over the past 30 years or so," Kerr said. "These games are difficult. This is not 1992 anymore. Players are better all over the world, teams are better and it's not easy to win a World Cup or an Olympic Games."

The U.S. men's basketball team has won gold at each of the past four Olympics and seven of the past eight, starting with the Dream Team's dominant performance in Barcelona in 1992.

For the first time ever, NBA players were permitted to play in the Olympics in 1992, and Team USA took advantage by putting together a star-studded squad comprised of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley, among others.

The Dream Team won their games by an average of 44 points per contest, and while the U.S. has been the dominant force in international basketball and the favorite in nearly every tournament ever since, the rest of the world has undoubtedly closed the gap.

Just four years ago, the U.S. had its worst-ever performance at the FIBA World Cup, finishing a disappointing seventh.

A strong roster was put together in hopes of rebuilding this year, although it largely lacked superstars, and defensive responsibility was missing as well.

The Americans had no answers for a German team that had plenty of NBA talent in its own right, such as Franz Wagner, Dennis Schröder, Daniel Theis and Mo Wagner.

Three players scored 20 or more points for Germany on Friday, including EuroLeague star Andreas Obst, who led the team with 24 points, underscoring the type of talent present even outside the NBA.

The U.S. can still field a better team than any other nation when all of its top players commit, but that was far from the case for the FIBA World Cup, as Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and Jaren Jackson Jr. were the only players on the team who were NBA All-Stars last season.

With the United States out of the running, Serbia and Germany will battle it out for gold on Sunday, while the Americans will close out their tournament against Canada in the bronze medal game.