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The Americans beat Italy 88–54, Japan 125–66, Hungary 107–63, Yugoslavia 104–42, Uruguay 108–50, Soviet Union 81–57, Italy 112–81, and Brazil 90–63.

In the gold-medal game, Bellamy was ejected by a Mexican referee for landing an elbow to the mouth of a Brazilian player, although it did not appear deliberate. As Bellamy pleaded his case with the referee, he had tears in his eyes. The Brazilians played timidly thereafter, however.

“That was the end of the game for them,” Robertson said. “They were out of it at that point. They were not going to win anyway, but they didn’t put up a big battle at all then.”

Bellamy protested that it was ordinary rebounding.

“That was just coming off the board with the ball,” he said.

Few rebounded better than “Bells.” He played in the NBA during the era of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, so it is unsurprising that he never made an all-NBA first team. When Bellamy retired in 1974, he was third in league history in rebounds (14,241)—behind those two other centers—and sixth in points (20,941). As of 2019, Bellamy was still eleventh all-time in rebounds.