Resumen

What would happen if we selected only the best workers from a specific economic sector, make them work together for some months, and then observed their performance once they are back to their original firms? Would these high-skill workers benefit from working closely with other equally talented individuals? In this paper we test this idea focusing on basketball professional athletes. We study whether NBA players who go to the summer Olympic Games increase their performance playing for their teams in the following seasons. Using advanced statistics, which capture the contribution of the player to the team’s success, and the peculiar selection process of the U.S. national team, we find that Olympic players increase their performances compared to controls. We also find evidence that less experienced players are those who benefited the most form going to the Olympics. Finally, we do not find significant effects based on skill composition.