Does the U.S. A. Olympics Basketball team players get paid for playing in the Olympics directly or indirectly

Question

Does the U.S. A. Olympics Basketball team players get paid for playing in the Olympics directly or indirectly

Answer 1

Indirectly, the U.S. pays medalists up to $20,000 per medal.

Answer 2

Olympic representation is, essentially, at amateur level; that is, for no payment. There is no Olympic body that actually pays or is allowed to pay competitors. No competitor was allowed to accept any payments of any kind. The great Jesse Owens fell foul of this restriction ( I think he accepted a watch or something simple like that) and was banned from competing. This was a hard and fast rule up until Barcelona in 1992, when they allowed paid professionals, such as the USA basketball 'Dream Team' to compete. Having said that, athletes from many sports had most likely been receiving some 'covert payments' to compete (not that the NBA stars need the money!). Following that, any payments came in the form or sponsorships, endorsements, incentives by the governments, etc.

If you take a close look at the ideals and history of the Olympics, both ancient and modern, it isn't about financial gain.