The Puerto Rican National Basketball Team (or Puerto Rican National Basketball Selection) is a team that is selected by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation to compete in major international events in representation of Puerto Rico. The team is usually ensembled with twelve of the best BSN players. The National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico —or Liga Baloncesto Superior Nacional De Puerto Rico (BSN) in Spanish— was established in 1933 and has produced a handful of NBA players and a lot of classic games and emotive moments to its fans. ...

The team has participated in many international competitions, such as the Olympic Games, Pan American Games, Goodwill Games, Centrobasket, Central American and Caribbean Games, World championship of Basketball, Pre Olympics and others. For months before the Olympic Games, runners relay the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the opening ceremony. ... The Pan American Games are a multi-sport event, held every four years between competitors from all nations of the Americas. ... The Goodwill Games were an international athletics competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympics of the 1980s. ... Centrobasket is a FIBA sponsored Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean participate. ... The Central American and Caribbean Games are the oldest continuing regional games. ... The Basketball World Championship (official name: FIBA World Championship) is a world basketball tournament held quadrennially. ...

Variants of the team include the women's national team, and sub-21 teams for each men and women. A woman is an adult female human, as contrasted with a man (an adult male), and a girl, (a female child). ...

History

In the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the team reached the fourth place thanks to the contribution of Juan "Pachín" Vicéns. This was the highest place they had reached since the teams birth. However, during the 1970s, the team had a varying degree of success on these competitions. 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Tokyo ) , literally eastern capital, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and includes the highly urbanized central area formerly known as the city of Tokyo which is the heart of the Greater Tokyo Area. ... Juan Pachín Vicéns was a renowned basketball player from Puerto Rico, specifically the Ponce Lions. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...

The 1980s, it could be said, were the team's golden years. They earned gold medals at the 1983 Venezuela Pan American Games, the 1986 Dominican Republic Central American and Caribbean games, and the 1989 Mexico Centrobasket. After that triumph, the Puerto Rican players returned home to a large welcoming at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan. They also obtained a Bronze medal at the 1987 Pre Olympics held in Uruguay, to secure their first Olympic participation since 1976. They did not participate at the 1980 Moscow games due to the American boycott of that competition (The Puerto Rican team, as Puerto Rico is an autonomous nation sportswise, could have participated; they chose to respect the boycott instead), and at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics because they failed to qualify. The Puerto Ricans advanced to the second round in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, finishing in seventh place. MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Central America Central America is a central region of the Americas. ... Central America and the Caribbean (detailed pdf map) The Caribbean, (Spanish: Caribe; French: Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Dutch: Cariben or Caraïben, or more commonly Antillen) or the West Indies, is a group of islands and countries which are in or border the Caribbean Sea which lies on... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Executive Air dba American Eagle ATR-72 and American Airlines aircraft at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in April 2001 Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico, is the islands main international gateway, and its main connection to the mainland United States. ... San Juan from space, July 1997 Nickname: The Walled City Official website: http://www. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: ) is the capital of Russia and the countrys principal political, economic, financial, educational and transportation center, located on the river Moskva. ... A boycott is an action undertaken to abstain from using, buying, or dealing with someone or some organisation as an expression of protest or as a means of coercion. ... A sport consists of a physical activity or skill carried out with a recreational purpose: for competition, for self-enjoyment, to attain excellence, for the development of a skill, or some combination of these. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: City of Angels Official website: http://www. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Seoul (Sŏul|서울) ) is the capital and largest city of South Korea (Republic of Korea). ...

In 1987, the men's sub-21 national team also brought national pride to basketball fans in Puerto Rico, winning the gold medal at the sub-21 Centrobasket, held in Caguas, Puerto Rico, defeating the Cuban team by a score of 94-78 in the championship game. Caguas (founded in 1775) is a municipality located in the eastern central area of Puerto Rico. ...

During the 1990s, their success slowed somewhat; nevertheless, they qualified for the 1992 Barcelona, Spain Olympics and they reached the second round there, having the misfortune of facing the Dream Team in their first game of the elimination round. They finished in eighth place in Barcelona. The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... For other uses, see Barcelona (disambiguation). ... The Dream Team was the unofficial nickname of the United States mens basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. ...

In 1996, they conquered the first of back to back Gold medals at Centrobasket. In 2000, they retained the Centrobasket title, with another triumph in Mexico. In 2003, the team won the Gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games, held at El Salvador. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Puerto Rican National Basketball Team conquered the silver medal at the 2004 Centrobasket tournament, losing to the Dominican Republic, 75-74, in the championship game.

In August 15, 2004, at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, the Puerto Rican National Basketball Team became the second team in history to defeat the United States Olympic basketball team by recording only the third loss in Olympic competition for the U.S. team, and the first since NBA players were allowed to compete. The other team to defeat the U.S. has been the Soviet Union in the 1972 gold medal game and the 1988 semifinals. August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 2004 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, were held in Athens, Greece, over a period of 17 days from August 13 to August 29, 2004. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína (IPA: )) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... NBA logo, depicting former star Jerry West Location of NBA teams, conferences and divisions NBA redirects here. ... The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ... The Games of the XXIV Olympiad were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ...

Uniform

Guard Carlos Arroyo after defeating the Dream Team at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

During most of the 1980s and up until the late 1990s, the team wore a uniform with the word Puerto Rico written in cursive, styled in the way that the NBA's Clippers wore their name on their uniforms at the time. The uniforms were red for road tournaments, and white for tournaments where they were the hosts. Nowadays, the national team's uniform reflects the Puerto Rican flag. Arroyo uniform This work is copyrighted. ... Arroyo uniform This work is copyrighted. ... Famous picture of Arroyo showing the letters of the Puerto Rico jersey seconds before defeating the Dream Team on August 15 at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. ... The Dream Team was the unofficial nickname of the United States mens basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. ... The 2004 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, were held in Athens, Greece, over a period of 17 days from August 13 to August 29, 2004. ... The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. ... Flag ratio: 1:2 The Flag of Puerto Rico consists of five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center. ...

Partial list of notable players on the team

• Carlos Arroyo
• Larry Ayuso
• James Carter
• Eddie Casiano
• Wesley Correa
• Angelo Cruz
• Carlos Cruz
• Christian Dalmau
• Raymond Dalmau
• Jose Lanauze
• Antonio Latimer
• Edgar Leon
• Francisco Leon
• Federico Lopez
• Jerome Mincy
• Mario Morales
• Evelio Ortiz
• José "Piculín" Ortiz
• Peter John Ramos
• Ramon Ramos
• Ramon Rivas
• Ruben Rodriguez
• Angel Santiago
• Daniel Santiago
• Jose Sosa
• Arquelio Torres
• Georgie Torres
• Orlando Vega
• Juan "Pachín" Vicéns