How many Gonzaga men's basketball players have won a gold medal?

Filip Petrusev and Serbia lost to Germany in the 2023 FIBA World Cup gold medal game

The international talent pool that has come through the Gonzaga men's basketball program is extensive. Many have gone on to enjoy successful careers in the NBA or overseas to play for their home country's national team.

That was certainly the case in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where Kelly Olynyk (Canada) and Filip Petrusev (Serbia) suited up to help their respective teams qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. But also, a shot at history was at stake — no player in Gonzaga men's basketball history has won the gold medal at a World Cup event. 

Petrusev came up just short of being the first Gonzaga alum to earn gold at the World Cup, as Germany outlasted Serbia in the gold medal game on Sunday, sending the 6-foot-11 forward home with a silver medal. 

But the World Cup and Olympics aren't the only tournaments that former Zags have taken part in, as many have won gold in smaller tournaments around the globe. Here's a look at previous Zags who have won the gold in international tournaments:

John Stockton

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After failing to make the 1984 national team, Stockton went on to become the most decorated former Gonzaga player with three gold medals he won from 1992-1996.

While many remember the "The Dream Team" at the 1992 Olympic Games, Stockton's first gold medal in a global tournament actually came just a few weeks prior at the FIBA Americas Championship held in Portland, Oregon. Known as the "AmeriCup" at the time, it was the first time NBA players had suited up to compete against international competition in decades. Team USA dominated in all six games to take home gold.

Just a month later in Barcelona, Stockton earned his second gold medal at the well-documented 1992 Olympic Games. Playing time was scarce on a roster with 11 hall-of-famers, even for the NBA's all-time assists leader. Stockton played 7.3 minutes per game in four appearances.

In 1996, Team USA won gold once again with another juggernaut of a roster. Stockton appeared in all eight victories and finished the tournament with the fourth-most steals.

Killian Tillie

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Before he enjoyed a four-year career at Gonzaga, Tillie made a name for himself on the international stage at the 2014 FIBA Europe U16 Championships with France.

In his first international competition, Tillie took home tournament MVP honors as he led the French to a perfect 9-0 record with 14.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He stepped up in the gold medal game with 25 points and 18 rebounds in a blowout win over Latvia, which earned France its second tournament title.

Tillie also earned a bronze medal representing his home country at the 2015 FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup in Rimini, Italy. One of France's six wins in the tournament came against former Gonzaga standout Zach Collins and Team USA in the Last 8 Group.

Ronny Turiaf

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Turiaf, who was born on Martinique, an island that's part of the French West Indies, earned a gold medal representing France at the 2000 FIBA Europe U18 Championship in Croatia.

Alongside NBA Hall-of-Famer Tony Parker, Turiaf and France went 7-1 on its run to the gold medal, with its only loss coming against Croatia. Turiaf had his best game of the tournament with 13 points in 19 minutes of action. The French avenged the loss in championship round in a narrow 65-64 victory, in which Turiaf scored four points in 12 minutes of action.

Turiaf stepped onto the international stage again in 2002 at the FIBA Europe U20 Championships. France took home the bronze medal.

Johnathan Williams

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Williams joined Stockton as the only former Zags who have won multiple gold medals while representing Team USA when he did so in 2011 and 2012 at the FIBA U16 and U17 World Championships.

Williams' first taste of international play came on a stacked USA squad that featured future NBA lottery picks Aaron Gordon, Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor. The Americans were too much for the rest of the competition, as they went 5-0 with an average margin of victory of 42.2 points. Williams role was limited, as he averaged 5.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

The following year saw Team USA sweep the competition once again in the U17 championships. With relatively the same squad, the Americans went 8-0 en route to the gold medal. Williams scored in double-figures in two of the games against Egypt and Australia and averaged 7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

Nigel Williams-Goss

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A year after Williams' run at the gold, Williams-Goss was the next Gonzaga player to dawn the red, white and blue at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship in the Czech Republic.

Team USA returned Okafor and Gordon and added future NBA players Elfrid Payton and Marcus Smart to a roster that didn't face much adversity on its route to the gold medal. Williams-Goss averaged 7.9 points in the Americans' nine victories, including a 15-point performance in the championship round against future MVP Nikola Jovic and Serbia.

Williams-Goss went on play collegiately at Washington in 2013 before he transferred to Gonzaga in 2015.

Filip Petrusev

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Petrusev burst onto the basketball scene early in his career after he won back-to-back gold medals in 2017 and 2018 with Serbia at the FIBA Europe U18 Championships.

The 6-foot-11 forward progressed from a role player who came off the bench in 2017 to one of the tournament's top scorers the following year, as he averaged 21.0 points and 8.7 rebounds in Serbia's quest for the gold. Petrusev led the way in the championship game against Latvia, as he scored 29 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He also shot 10-for-18 from the field and 9-for-10 from the charity stripe.

Petrusev recored a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double in Serbia's lone loss in the tournament opener against Lithuania. Two games later, he came up clutch in a must-win against Montenegro with a game-winner in overtime to preserve Serbia's chances at the gold medal. The Serbs went unscathed the rest of the way.