Red basketball shorts worn by the donor, Rebecca Lobo, with the accompanying jersey as the uniform for the United States women's basketball team in Atlanta, Georgia for the 1996 summer Olympic games. Lobo was a member of the University of Connecticut basketball team when they won the National Championships in 1995. After her Olympic appearance she became of member of the WNBA team New York Liberty and went on to play for the Houston Comets and Conneticut Suns.
The 1996 Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad were held in Atlanta, Georgia with 197 countries, 6,797 men and 3,523 women athletes participating. These Games saw the debuts of beach volleyball, mountain biking, softball, and women’s soccer. These Games also saw the American women, who had taken full advantage of Title IX legislation, excel in Olympic competition. The women’s gymnastics, soccer, softball and basketball teams all won gold, propelling the US women athletes into the global spotlight and beginning their dominance in Olympic competition. Atlanta benefitted from the Games as Centennial Olympic Park led to the revitalization of the downtown area and the Olympic Village became residence housing for area universities. These games marked the first time since 1984 that the United States topped the medal count with 101.