For professional basketball players, suiting up for Team USA the expectations are sky high. “The pressure is elevated to a level that is really high, especially for Americans,” former Olympic gold-winning coach Rudy Tomjanovich once admitted. Winning is the bare minimum; losing is simply not an option. Grant Hill, the managing director of the United States men’s basketball team, recently echoed that sentiment, as he opened up about Team USA’s latest Olympic journey.

Grant Hill gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to play for Team USA during an appearance on Bloomberg Live’s YouTube channel. While he walks through what a beautiful moment it has been for basketball across the globe, both men and women, he ensures to point out that the USA just had to remain dominant. Anything less than a gold is a disappointment. Hill illustrates the sentiment through Serbia’s winning moment.

The team, though a bit disappointed with the loss, was as thrilled as it could be. Nikola Jokic and Co. couldn’t step straight on the podium, as fans would notice, when they arrived to collect their medals. They leaped in the air, danced in the bus, sang their hearts out with a glass in hand as they avenged their World Cup Final loss against Germany. Though beautiful, an unlikely scenario for team USA Hill notes.

“Serbia, they lost to us. They won the bronze medal, and they’re like celebrating on the medal stand, [which] was a beautiful thing for them. For us, it was gold or bust,” Hill explained.

The home crowd of 40,000 back in Serbia also welcomed the team to loud cheers, ‘MVP’ chants for Nikola Jokic, and a song for their coach Svetislav ‘Kari’ Pesic. “It’s a huge success,” Jokic had remarked. But the same Bronze for the USA years ago had the fans and stakeholders stirring.

Team USA Bronze medal return in 2004 ‘wasn’t just considered a failure, it forced USA Basketball to rethink everything,’ ESPN had penned along the many views of the experts. Now with the 2024 team dubbed the ‘Dream Team,’ and ‘The Avengers,’ the pressure was all the more viable. More so with Team USA returning empty-handed from the FIBA World Cup just months before.

“You really felt that pressure, especially in the medal round. And it’s unlike any pressure I have experienced,” Hill relayed. Amd sure, he wasn’t the only one experiencing it from the sidelines.

The 7x NBA All-Star also highlighted head coach Steve Kerr’s experience, noting that even a veteran with four NBA titles as a coach and five as a player felt the weight. “He [Steve Kerr] even acknowledged there is no pressure like that pressure,” Hill said. And he would know it a little too well himself, having adorned both positions.

Grant Hill’s USA legacy continued

It was in 1996, at age 23 that Grant Hill made his Olympic debut. Having trained against the legendary 1992 Dream Team during his college days, Hill helped keep up the gold medal streak, while admiring the greatness around him. “And that experience, to do it when I was 23 years old… it was even more special,” he had told Olympics.com.

Then in 2021, USA Basketball brought him back into the fold—but this time in a suit and tie. Hill stepped up as the managing director of the men’s national team, taking the reins from Jerry Colangelo to hand select the rosters. It was a bold move for Hill, who transitioned from player to decision-maker, with the pressure mounting to uphold USA Basketball’s storied legacy.

“As a member of the 1996 Dream Team, I know the thrill and responsibility it is to represent our country,” Hill shared after his appointment. But in his first test as director, Hill’s squad fell short, finishing fourth at the 2023 FIBA World Cup—a wake-up call for the program.

But now, it seems his efforts are paying off. “It’s like a puzzle, man. You got to put the pieces together that fit and that complement,” Hill told Andscape.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.