Men's Basketball
in Olympic Games

Introduction

After basketball in 1904 had been presented at the games in St. Louis as a kind of demonstration sport, basketball was first included in the official program at the 1936 Games in Berlin. The tournament was held outdoors, but without much success, so from 1948 basketball in Olympic terms has been an indoor sport. Until 1976 there was only a competition for men, but from the 1976 Games in Montreal there has been a tournament for both women and men.

All-time Olympic Basketball competitions ⮞

The USA won gold in the first Olympic basketball tournament in 1936, and this victory was the start of an unbroken winning streak that included 7 Olympic gold medals and 62 consecutive game wins. In 1972, the United States finally lost at the Munich Games to the Soviet Union in a legendary final with a highly dramatic ending. From 1976, the USA was back on track with another unbroken winning streak until 1988, when at the Seoul Games the USA lost in the semi-finals, again to the Soviet Union. This was followed by another uninterrupted winning streak right up until the Games in Athens 2004, where the Olympic basketball tournament almost became an American disaster with three defeats and a bronze medal as the final result. As of 2008, the USA has again won all gold medals. The United States has also been by far the winningest nation in women’s basketball tournaments.

Men’s Basketball medal table ⮞

It is worth noting that despite the USA’s long winning streak, three other nations have managed to win Olympic basketball gold. Two times gold for the Soviet Union and a single for respectively Yugoslavia and Argentina. Spain, France and Italy each have several silver medals, but have never quite reached the top.

The most winning basketball player at the Olympic Games was for a long time the USA’s Teresa Edwards, who in the period 1984-2000 helped win four gold medals and one bronze medal. She has since been surpassed by her two compatriots Diana Taurasi and Suzanne Bird with 5 gold medals each after their participation in the long American winning streak in the years from Athens 2004 onwards. For the men, the most winning players are the USA’s Carmelo Anthony with 3 golds and a single bronze (which in many people’s eyes is probably a boring bronze on the resume) ahead of Kevin Durant, who has a "pure" gold collection of 3 pieces. A sea of ​​American superstars then have 2 golds each.

Medalists in Men’s Basketball ⮞

In April 1989, the IOC decided to allow the participation of professional players in the Olympic Games, opening the way for players from the American NBA league, the National Basketball Association, to compete in the Olympics. The USA took full advantage of this at the following Games in Barcelona 1992, where the USA with its "Dream Team" presented superstars such as Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. The "Dream Team" played under enormous media attention throughout the tournament, prevailing in every game and achieving an impressive score of over 117 points on average in the eight games.

Olympic Men’s Basketball Champions ⮞

Also at the games in Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, the American "Dream Teams" showed great superiority, before Puerto Rico, Lithuania and Argentina gave the American NBA stars some bad scratches in the paint at the games in Athens 2004. Here the Argentine team won a glorious Olympic gold medal with a team drawn by star players like Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni and Walter Hermann.

Yugoslavia’s gold medal in 1980 was also a huge achievement in that it happened in Moscow in 1980, where the host nation were favourites.

Paris 2024

In the following we will describe the men’s Olympic basketball competitions from the first in 1936 until today. The next competition in men’s basketball will take place in Paris 2024 and you can follow the results and schedule continuously below as they unfold.

Basketball Schedule 2024 ⮞

Results 2024 ⮞

There are 12 nations taking part in the tournament in Paris. In the preliminary matches, the teams are divided into three round-robin groups, from which the eight best teams advance to the final matches, which consist of quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. The opening group matches will be played at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium [1] in Lille, after which the finals will be moved to the Bercy Arena [2] in central Paris.

The USA is undoubtedly one of the big favorites for the gold medal in men’s basketball. The Americans have won gold in the last four Olympic tournaments, and in total, since the start in 1936, the USA has won the championship 16 times out of a possible 20. Other favorites are Germany and Serbia, who won gold and silver respectively at the most recent world championships in autumn 2023. Here, Canada was third and the USA fourth.

The tournament in Paris will open on 27 July 2024 and the final will be played on 10 August 2024.

Berlin 1936 - outdoor basketball

In 1936, basketball was played at the Olympic Games for the first time, and a total of 21 nations participated in the tournament. The matches were played outdoors on a tennis court with a surface consisting of a mixture of sand and clay. The tournament was run with a series of preliminary rounds, from which the top four teams progressed to the semi-finals and finals on 13 and 14 August [3].

An international basketball tournament with participants from several continents had never been played before, so it was rather difficult to assess the strength of the participating nations in advance. However, the team from the United States was considered to be the favorite, mostly because the game was developed in the United States. The American team consisted of players from the Universal Studios team supplemented by a few others.

Next to the United States, Canada was considered among the favorites. The team included, among other things famous players like Art Chapman and James Stewart [4].

The USA and Canada were also among the four teams that made it to the semi-finals, and here the two North American teams were in a class of their own. The USA defeated Mexico 25-10 and Canada beat Poland 42-15.

Results 1936 ⮞

The USA had generally proved to be a class better than all other teams throughout the tournament, and only in the final against Canada did the Americans get real opposition. Unfortunately, the final was played after heavy rain, which made the pitch soggy, making it difficult for the players to dribble. The USA won the final 19-8, a score greatly limited by the difficult conditions. In the battle for the bronze medals, Mexico won 26-12 over Poland.

London 1948 - The United States recovers from the war

Due to World War II, no major, worldwide basketball tournaments had been played since the Olympics in Berlin 1936. At that time, no world championships were held, but regional tournaments were held in some places after the war, e.g. in Europe where the Soviet Union had won the European championship in 1947 [5].

After the bad experience of outdoor basketball at the 1936 Olympics, the 1948 tournament was held indoors at the Harringay Arena in north London. Basketball has since always been an indoor sport at the Olympics.

A total of 23 teams participated in the Olympic tournament in London, and the USA was considered a clear favorite to regain the championship beforehand, i.a. because the Soviet Union had chosen not to participate in the first Olympic Games after the war. The majority of the players on the American team came from the University of Kentucky, which had won the North American college tournament earlier in 1948. The team included Donald Barksdale, the first African-American player in an Olympic basketball tournament [6].

The tournament in London was conducted with a series of preliminary pools, from which the best teams progressed to a regular knockout tournament that concluded with semifinals and finals. The USA proved to be clearly the best team from the start. In one of the opening games, however, the Americans were pressured by Argentina, but after a modest victory here at 59-57, the USA was in a class of its own.

Results 1948 ⮞

In the final matches, the Americans really showed their strength. The USA won 63-28 over Uruguay in the quarterfinals, 71-40 over Mexico in the semifinals, and 65-21 over France in the final. Here the Americans led 28-9 at halftime, and Alex Groza became the American top scorer with 11 points.

In the other semifinal, France won 43-33 over Brazil. In the battle for the bronze medals, Brazil then won 52-47 over Mexico in a close match, where a well-playing Alfredo da Motta scored 25 of Brazil’s points.

Adesio Lombardo from Uruguay became the tournament’s top scorer with a total of 168 points ahead of Alfredo da Motta, Brazil with 114 points. Alex Groza was the top scoring American with 78 points.

Helsinki 1952 - South and North American dominance

As in the two previous Olympic basketball tournaments, the USA was also in 1952 advance favored to win the gold medals. This time, however, there were a few uncertain factors for the Americans.

In 1950 FIBA ​​(International Basketball Federation) had held the first world championship in basketball, and here Argentina had won the championship, while the USA had only finished second. Argentina’s victory was surprising as Uruguay was usually considered the best South American team having won the South American Championship in both 1947 and 1949 [7].

It was another uncertain factor that the Soviet Union participated in the Olympic Games for the first time. The Soviet Union had won the European Championship in both 1947 and 1951.

23 nations participated in the tournament, which was run with a number of preliminary pools followed by a knockout tournament for the best teams, concluding with semifinals and finals.

The Soviet Union proved to be the toughest competitor to the USA during the tournament. The two teams met in an initial pool match, and here the USA won easily with 86-58. The teams met again in the final, and here the Soviet Union managed to take the pace out of the match, so that the Americans’ lead at the break was just 17-15. In the second half, however, the USA found countermeasures in relation to the Soviet tactics, and the final result was a victory for the USA of 36-25. The Americans thus won the third Olympic gold medal in a row.

The stars of the American team were Bob Kurland of the Phillips Petroleum Team and Clyde Lovellette of the University of Kansas. For the Soviet Union Otar Korkiya was a prominent player.

The fight for the bronze medals was a showdown between the two big South American teams, Uruguay and Argentina. The match and thus the bronze medals were won by Uruguay 68-59. Throughout the tournament, Uruguay delivered not only good play, but also a controversial effort with far too hard play and conduct from both players and supporters [8].

Results 1952 ⮞

It was notable that positions 3-6 in the tournament were won by teams from South America - Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Brazil.

Otar Korkiya of the Soviet Union became the tournament’s top scorer with a total of 138 points ahead of Adesio Lombardo of Uruguay with 137 points. The highest scoring American was Clyde Lovellette with 97 points [9].

Melbourne 1956 - A rock-solid gold

Fifteen nations participated in the Olympic basketball tournament in Melbourne. In advance, the USA was the favorite to continue its winning streak from the three previous Olympic tournaments in 1936, 1948 and 1952. The tournament in Melbourne then also ended with a crushingly superior American gold medal.

William Felton Russell - better known as Bill Russell - was captain of the American team in Melbourne. He was the big star of the tournament and is usually considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Russell played for the University of San Francisco, but after the Olympics he turned professional for the Boston Celtics, with whom he won 10 NBA (National Basketball Association) championships. He became a member of FIBA’s Hall of Fame and his resume contains countless titles and honors from a long life in basketball at almost every level [10].

The basketball games in Melbourne were held in a purpose-built extension to the Royal Exhibition Building. The conditions here were ideal for both the participating teams and the spectators. The tournament was run with preliminary pools in two levels, from which the top four teams qualified for the semifinals and finals.

The four pools in the preliminary round and the two pools in the intermediate round featured a number of exciting and evenly matched matches [11]. Among other things, it was noted that the Philippines played two perfectly even games against Uruguay and France. Host nation Australia competed in basketball at the Olympic Games for the first time, finishing 12th out of 15 participating nations [12]. The preliminary rounds resulted in the United States, Soviet Union, Uruguay and France qualifying for the finals.

The semi-finals featured a 55-49 victory for the Soviet Union over France in a tough and even game, while the USA easily defeated Uruguay by a whopping 101-38.

Results 1956 ⮞

In the gold medal final, the United States proved far superior to the Soviet Union, and the Americans’ fourth Olympic gold medal out of as many was never in jeopardy. At halftime, the USA led by 29 points, and the final victory was as comfortable as 89-55. The USA appeared in the tournament in a class of its own, and the real capacity of the team was never really ascertained [13].

As at the Olympics in London four years earlier, Uruguay secured the bronze medals with a 71-62 victory over France in a highly entertaining and exciting match.

Oscar Moglia of Uruguay became the top scorer of the tournament with 182 points ahead of Yee Tit Kwan of Singapore with 146 points. Bill Russell became the USA’s top scorer with 113 points.

Rome 1960 - USA undefeated for the 5th Olympics in a row

The year before the Olympic Games in Rome, the USA had lost to both Brazil and the Soviet Union at the World Basketball Championships [14], so in Rome there was a certain expectation in advance that the USA might just lose it this time.

The USA fielded in Rome with a selected team of the country’s best amateur players instead of, as in the past, being represented by players from primarily a single club. The US team in Rome is considered among the best amateur teams of all time, and several players on the team such as Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Jerry Lucas later became stars in the professional NBA league [15].

16 nations participated in the basketball tournament in Rome. The matches were played in Palazzo dello Sport and Palazzetto dello Sport, two new sports arenas built for the Olympic Games to the highest standards of the time. Both arenas are still in use. The tournament was run according to a pool system with four preliminary pools, two semifinal pools and a final pool for the four best teams. An actual final was thus not played [16].

Results 1960 ⮞

It soon became clear in the tournament that the USA was in a class of its own, and the American team was never seriously threatened in Rome. In the final pool, the USA won by 27 points over Brazil, by 31 points over Italy and by 24 points over the Soviet Union. The USA thus won its fifth Olympic gold medal in a row since basketball entered the Olympic program in 1936, five gold medals which, incidentally, had been won without the USA having lost a single game [17]. The silver medal in Rome was won by the Soviet Union and the bronze medal by Brazil.

Radivjej Korac of Yugoslavia became the top scorer in Rome with 193 points ahead of Janusz Wichowski of Poland with 166 points. Jerry Lucas became the top scoring American with 136 points.

Tokyo 1964 - 6th Olympic gold in a row

At the 1963 World Basketball Championships, Brazil had won the championship ahead of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, while the United States had only finished fourth [18]. It naturally gave rise to considerations as to whether the USA in Tokyo was able to continue its winning streak from previous Olympic tournaments.

However, these considerations were quickly put to rest, because the USA turned out to be the tournament’s clearly strongest team. The Americans won all nine of their games, and only in the match against Yugoslavia, which ended 69-61 in the USA’s favor, were the Americans really threatened. The American team included a number of players who later became stars in the NBA: William Bradley, Walter Hazzard and Luke Jackson.

Results 1964 ⮞

16 nations took part in the tournament in Tokyo, with participants divided into two round-robin pools in the opening round. The two best teams from each pool then qualified for the final matches with semifinals and finals. The matches were played in a newly built facility at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo.

The two initial pools featured a number of exciting and relatively equal matches. From the first pool, the Soviet Union and Puerto Rico qualified for the semifinals, and from the second pool, the United States and Brazil took the first two spots. Both the United States and the Soviet Union were undefeated before the semifinals [19].

After victories in the semifinals for the USA with 62-42 over Puerto Rico and for the Soviet Union with 53-47 over Brazil, the two advance favorites, the USA and the Soviet Union, met in the final. Here the USA was clearly the best team, and the Americans’ sixth gold medal in a row became a reality with a 73-59 victory. The bronze medals went to Brazil 76-60 over Puerto Rico [20].

Ricardo Duarte of Peru became the top scorer of the tournament with 212 points ahead of Kim Yeong-gi of South Korea with 174 points. USA’s top scorer was Jerry Shipp with 112 points.

Mexico City 1968 - 7th gold in a row

By 1968, basketball had become a widespread sport internationally, and it was no longer a matter of course that the USA would win the Olympic gold. The Soviet Union had won the European Championship in both 1965 and 1967, and in 1967 the country had also won the World Cup. Yugoslavia was also seen in advance as a threat to the American hopes for gold [21].

As in Tokyo four years earlier, 16 teams participated in the tournament in Mexico City. The teams were divided into two round-robin pools in the preliminary round, from which the top two teams in each pool qualified for the semifinals and finals. The matches were played in the Juan Escutia Sports Palace, a newly built sports arena erected immediately before the Games.

The early favorites got through the initial pool play without any major problems. The USA and Yugoslavia advanced from the first pool and the Soviet Union and Brazil from the second. Both the United States and the Soviet Union were undefeated before the finals [22]. However, it can be noted that the USA was only able to defeat Puerto Rico by 5 points.

In the first semi-final, the USA beat Brazil 75-63. In the other semi-final, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union met, and here Vladimir Cvetkovic scored for Yugoslavia on two free throws with four seconds left in the game for a Yugoslav victory of 63-62.

Results 1968 ⮞

In the final, Yugoslavia followed the Americans well from the start, and after the first half of the match, the USA only led by 32-29. At the start of the second half of the game, however, the Americans upped the ante, led by the two future stars of the professional league, Spencer Haywood and Jo-Jo White, and the final score was a 65-50 victory for the USA. In the battle for the bronze medals, the Soviet Union won 70-53 over Brazil.

Davis Peralta of Panama became the top scorer of the tournament with 214 points ahead of Sin Dong-pa of South Korea with 195 points. The USA’s top scorer was Spencer Haywood with 145 points.

Munich 1972 - cold war on the basketball court

One of the most controversial dramas in Olympic history unfolded on Sunday, September 10, 1972, when the USA and the Soviet Union met in the middle of the Cold War in the men’s basketball final in Munich. Before the final, the United States had never lost an Olympic basketball game. 62 consecutive victories and seven gold medals had been achieved for the Americans since basketball entered the Olympic program at the Berlin Olympics in 1936 [23].

In the final, the Soviet Union was in the lead throughout the match. The Soviet Union scored the first point, leading 26-21 at halftime, and with only three seconds remaining, the Soviet Union led 49-48. At this point, the Soviet Union’s Zurab Sakandelidze fouled the American Doug Collins. In a frenzied atmosphere in the hall, Collins kept his composure and scored on both of his free throws. With this, the USA was ahead for the first time in the game, 50-49 to the USA with only three seconds of playing time left.

The American enthusiasm was overwhelming, but it would turn out that victory was far from imminent. Soviet coach Kondrashkin called for a time-out, but this was overlooked by the scoreboard. The referees, Righetto from Brazil and Arbadjan from Bulgaria, started the match, but a second later Righetto stopped the game again due to unrest at the scoreboard.

The American players thought the game was over and celebrated what they thought was a gold medal. After much confusion at the scoreboard over the overlooked Soviet time-out request, it was decided that three more seconds should be played. Kondrashkin called his time-out and play resumed. The Soviet Union’s Ivan Yedeshko threw the ball the length of the pitch to Aleksandr Belov who scored. With this the match was over, and the Soviet Union had won 51-50.

The international basketball jury spent a long time dealing with the American protest and sorting out the events surrounding the end of the game. Only at the end of Monday was it decided that the Soviet victory should stand. The USA team was absent from the victory ceremony and refused to accept the silver medals [24].

The basketball games in Munich were played in a newly built facility, Basketballhalle. 16 nations participated in the tournament, and the United States was considered a clear favorite for the gold medals beforehand. In the preliminary round, the teams were divided into two round-robin groups, from which the top two teams in each group qualified for the semifinals and finals.

Results 1972 ⮞

The opening two groups were won by the United States and the Soviet Union, both without problems and with victories in all seven matches. In the semifinals, the USA won 68-38 over Italy and the Soviet Union 67-61 over Cuba. The bronze medals were won by Cuba with a 66-65 victory over Italy.

Masatomo Taniguchi of Japan was the leading scorer in the tournament with 191 points ahead of Eddie Palubinskas of Australia with 190 points.

Montreal 1976 - A young golden team

In Montreal, the U.S. was keen to avenge the controversial final four years earlier in Munich, where they suffered their first-ever defeat in Olympic basketball, losing 51-50 to the Soviet Union. And then it was about to go wrong again already in one of the opening games, where the USA was hard pressed by small Puerto Rico, before the Americans pulled off a 95-94 victory. After that, however, there were no problems, and the USA played easily through to the final. Here, however, it did not become a new confrontation with the Soviet Union, because the Soviet Union was defeated by Yugoslavia in the semifinals [25].

In 1976 there was a tournament for women in basketball for the first time at the Olympic Games. In connection with this, the number of participants in the men’s tournament was reduced from the previous 16 teams to now 12 teams. As before, the preliminary round was played in two round-robin groups, from which the two best teams qualified for the semifinals and finals.

The opening two groups were won by the Soviet Union and the United States respectively, both with five wins and no matches lost. In the USA’s group, Yugoslavia finished second, and in the head-to-head match between the USA and Yugoslavia, the Americans won 112-93 [26].

In the semifinals, as mentioned, Yugoslavia surprisingly won over the Soviet Union with 89-85, and the USA defeated the host nation Canada with 95-77.

Results 1976 ⮞

In the final between the USA and Yugoslavia, the Americans were never threatened, and the team won comfortably 95-74. The USA’s performance was particularly notable in that the Americans fielded a very young team with an average age of around 19 years. In the bronze medal match, the Soviet Union won 100-72 over Canada.

Eddie Palubinskas from Australia became the top scorer of the tournament with 219 points ahead of Arturo Guerrero from Mexico with 167 points. The top scorer for the USA gold medalists was Adrian Dantley with 116 points.

Moscow 1980 - Yugoslavia steps up

In 1980, US President Jimmy Carter chose to use the Olympic Games as a platform for his protest against the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979. The US - and thus most of the Western world - boycotted the Olympic Games in Moscow. A total of 65 countries declined the Soviet invitation to the Games [27].

With the USA’s absence in the men’s basketball tournament, everything suggested a relatively easy victory for the host nation, the Soviet Union. During the tournament, however, the Soviets lost to both Yugoslavia and Italy, and it was these two nations that met in the final for the Olympic championship.

Twelve nations took part in the tournament in Moscow, and in the preliminary round the teams were divided into three round-robin groups, from which the top two teams in each group advanced to a semifinal pool with a total of six teams, which was also played according to the round-robin principle. The two best teams in the semifinal pool then met in the final for the gold medals.

The first two of the preliminary groups were won by the supposed two strongest teams of the tournament, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, both with maximum points and without being in difficulty. The third group was more evenly matched, but was eventually won by Italy despite a defeat to Australia. In the semifinal pool game, the big surprise of the tournament came when the favorites from the Soviet Union were beaten by Italy 87-85. When the Soviet Union later also lost to Yugoslavia 101-91, the host nation had to settle for third place in the pool [28].

Results 1980 ⮞

In the final, Yugoslavia, led by Drazen Dalipagic and Dragan Kicanovic, won 86-77 over Italy, making Yugoslavia the third nation through the years to win Olympic gold in men’s basketball after the United States and the Soviet Union. In the battle for the bronze medals, the Soviet Union won 117-94 over Spain.

Ian Davies from Australia was the top scorer of the tournament with 205 points ahead of Dalipagic and Kicanovic with 195 and 189 points.

Like four years earlier, the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles were also affected by a political boycott. This time it was the Soviet Union and the rest of the Eastern Bloc who boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

In men’s basketball, the Eastern Bloc’s boycott primarily meant that the Soviet Union did not participate. It obviously affected the tournament, but the Soviet Union would hardly have been able to take the gold medals from the United States. The American team was by far the best of the tournament, winning all eight games in superior style and with an average margin of victory of 32 points.

The 1984 American team is considered one of the best amateur basketball teams of all time. The team was led by a young Michael Jordan, who later as a professional would achieve the highest star status and recognition as one of the world’s best players of all time. He was complemented by a number of players who virtually all had great careers as professional players in the North American league, including Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin [29].

The basketball tournament was played in the Los Angeles Forum and 12 nations participated in the tournament. As in previous Olympic Games, the teams in the preliminary round were divided into two round-robin groups. From here, the four best teams in each pool went on to a knockout phase, where, unlike before, quarterfinals were now introduced.

In the semifinals, Spain won 74-61 over Yugoslavia, the gold medalists from Moscow 1980, and the United States defeated Canada 78-59. In the final between the USA and Spain, the Americans were in a class of their own, taking home their ninth basketball gold medal out of a possible eleven with a 96-65 victory. In the bronze medal game, Yugoslavia beat Canada 88-82 [30].

Results 1984 ⮞

Horacio Lopez of Uruguay became the top scorer of the tournament with 199 points ahead of Antonello Riva of Italy with 187 points. Michael Jordan became the USA’s highest scoring player with 137 points.

Seoul 1988 - The Soviet Union for the second time

16 years after the United States lost the controversial final match at the 1972 Munich Olympics to the Soviet Union, the two nations met in Seoul in the semifinals for a long-awaited rematch. This time there was less doubt about the result, as the Soviet Union, after leading by 10 points at halftime, reached the final with an 82-76 victory.

The Olympic basketball tournament in Seoul was held in Chamsill Gymnasium located close to the Olympic stadium. The tournament followed the same format as in Los Angeles 1984 with two initial round-robin groups, from which the best teams advanced to the knockout stage [31].

As usual, the USA was considered the favorite for the Olympic championship in advance. On paper, the Americans fielded a strong team with several future NBA players. During the tournament, however, it turned out that the USA team was not quite of the same strength as the team from 1984. An insufficient quality in the attacking game was a contributing factor to the Americans’ defeat in the semifinals.

The Soviet Union and Yugoslavia were considered to be the main competitors of the United States. The Soviet Union fielded a team heavily influenced by players from the Baltic countries with the three Lithuanians Sarunas Marciulionis, Arvydas Sabonis and Rimas Kurtinaitis in the top. They all had fine careers in the North American NBA league. The two Eastern European nations already met in the preliminary group, and here Yugoslavia proved to be the best with a 92-79 victory. However, both teams made it to the finals.

In the semifinals, the surprise of the tournament came with the victory of the Soviet Union over the USA. The US defeat was only the second defeat in an Olympic tournament since basketball entered the Olympic program in 1936. The first defeat was also to the Soviet Union in the dramatic final at the 1972 Munich Olympics. In the other semifinal, Yugoslavia won 91-70 over Australia.

In the final, Yugoslavia was leading 24-12 at one point, but the Soviet Union finished strongly and won the game comfortably 76-63. Thus, the Soviet Union won its second Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball. It would also turn out to be the last. In the bronze medal game, the USA won 78-49 over Australia [32].

Results 1988 ⮞

One of the profiles in the Olympic basketball tournament was the Brazilian Oscar Schmidt. In an opening game against Spain, he set an unofficial Olympic record by scoring 55 points. As an average in all of Brazil’s games, Oscar Schmidt scored an impressive 42 points.

Oscar Schmidt also became the top scorer of the tournament with an impressive 338 points ahead of Andrew Gaze from Australia with 191 points. The Soviet Union’s top scorer was Sarunas Marciulionis with 145 points.

Barcelona 1992 - The Dream Team enters

Since the Olympics in Seoul 1988, the political map of the world had changed dramatically. Changes that had a significant impact on the performance of the various sports in Barcelona and beyond, including also for basketball [33].

In the Soviet Union, the communist regime had collapsed and the union was now divided into 15 separate countries. Of these, the three Baltic countries participated in the Olympic Games as independent nations for the first time since World War II. The remaining countries ran under the designation EUN, "Community of Independent States", a state community participating in the Olympics for the first and only time.

In Yugoslavia, the disintegration had begun and the UN had imposed sanctions on the country because of its military actions against Croatia. This led to the remaining part of Yugoslavia being banned from participating in the team sports at the Olympics.

Another change greatly affected the conditions in basketball. In 1989, the international basketball federation FIBA ​​decided that players from the North American NBA league could participate in the Olympic Games in the future. This meant that in 1992 the USA could field its best professional players for the first time, and the Americans sent perhaps the best basketball team of all time to Barcelona. The USA’s "Dream Team" with names like Michael Jordan, Ervin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird became the expected big experience on the Olympic program [34]. The team was the subject of intense attention in the press and among competitors. During the USA’s matches, opposing players were seen taking photos and asking for autographs from the famous Americans [35].

The USA became as certain a winner of the Olympic gold medals as was expected. In eight games, the Dream Team had a scoring average of just over 117, and at no point in the eight games did the coach find it necessary to call a time-out. In the final, Croatia was defeated 117-85.

The tournament was played in the Palacio Municipal de Deportes de Badalona, ​​a newly constructed arena for the Olympic Games. Twelve nations participated in the men’s tournament, which, like the previous games, was played with two round-robin groups, from which the best teams advanced to the quarterfinals.

Results 1992 ⮞

In the semifinals, the USA won 127-76 over Lithuania, and Croatia defeated the team from the former Soviet states 75-74. In the battle for the bronze medals, Lithuania won over the Soviet states 82-78 [36].

As in 1988, Oscar Schmidt from Brazil became the top scorer in the tournament with 198 points ahead of Arvydas Sabonis from Lithuania with 191 points. The top scorer from the USA’s Dream Team was Charles Barkley with 144 points.

Atlanta 1996 - Dream Team II

After changing the rules, at the previous Olympic Games in Barcelona, ​​in the men’s tournament, the USA had broken with the traditions of the past and instead fielded its famous Dream Team, a team composed of the biggest stars of the professional NBA league. In Atlanta, the Americans fielded a Dream Team II, selected according to the same principles.

Well, Michael Jordan had said no thanks to participating again, just like another of the biggest names of the time, Dennis Rodman. And of course "Magic" Johnson had ended his active career, but five from the Barcelona team led by Charles Barkley and David Robinson and supplemented by seven new professional stars, was plenty to dominate the Olympic tournament. However, the team was not quite able to live up to the excitement and publicity that had greeted the first Dream Team four years earlier.

The final games of the basketball tournaments in Atlanta were held in the giant indoor arena Georgia Dome, daily home of the Atlanta Falcons, the local NFL team. Twelve nations participated in the men’s tournament, which, like the previous games, was played with two round-robin groups, from which the best teams advanced to the quarterfinals. Russia had surprisingly been unable to qualify for the basketball tournament.

The opening two pools were won by the USA and Serbia & Montenegro, both with five wins and neither team being in serious trouble. In the finals, the USA won big by 23 points over Brazil in the quarterfinals and by 28 points over Australia in the semifinals. In the other semifinal, Serbia & Montenegro won 66-58 over Lithuania, the only participating nation from the former Soviet Union.

Results 1996 ⮞

The USA and Serbia & Montenegro then met in the final, and here Serbia & Montenegro succeeded to pressure the American favorites, so that Serbia & Montenegro was in the lead through large parts of the first half of the match, and at the start of the second half the USA was only ahead with 51-50. The Americans then tightened their grip, and the result was a clear victory of 95-69 for the USA. In the bronze medal match, Lithuania won 80-74 over Australia.

For the third time in a row, Oscar Schmidt from Brazil became the top scorer of the tournament with 219 points ahead of Andrew Gaze from Australia with 190 points. David Robinson became the USA’s highest scoring gold medalist with 96 points.

Sydney 2000 - 12th gold out of a possible 15

Going into the Sydney Games, there were clear signs that the gap between the USA and the best teams from the rest of the world had been reduced quite a bit. For example, at the World Cup in 1998, the USA had only finished third in a tournament that was won by Serbia & Montenegro. In Sydney, as in 1992 and 1996, the USA again fielded a team of professional stars from the NBA league, and with players such as Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett and Gary Payton on the team, expectations for a new American gold medal were still high.

Like previous Olympic Games, the Sydney tournament featured two preliminary round-robin groups for the 12 participating nations, from which the top four teams in each group advanced to the quarterfinals. The opening matches were played at The Dome and Exhibition Complex, after which the finals were moved to the impressive Sydney SuperDome, which seats around 20,000 [37].

In the opening Group A, the USA was clearly the best team with wins in all five games and an average score of over 100 points per match. However, in the third round the Americans had to fight hard to win 85-76 over Lithuania led by the NBA player Sarunas Jasikevicius. Group B was won by Canada with four wins and a single loss to Russia.

In the quarterfinals, the most interesting match was between Russia and the USA, and here the USA proved to be the best by winning 85-70. In contrast, the Americans were pushed much harder in the semifinal against Lithuania, and here the USA was in real danger of being sent out of the tournament. With 43 seconds left in the game, Lithuania was leading 81-80, but after an extremely exciting finish, the USA managed to win 85-83. With four seconds left in the game, Sarunas Jasikevicius attempted a 3-pointer, but failed, and the USA was thus ready for the final [38].

Results 2000 ⮞

Here the Americans met France, who in the semifinal had safely won over Australia with 76-52. In the final, the USA proved to be the tournament’s best team by winning relatively safely with 85-75. The USA thus won its 12th Olympic gold medal out of a possible 15 in men’s basketball. The bronze medals were won by Lithuania with an 89-71 victory over Australia.

Two Australians, Andrew Gaze and Shane Heal, were the top scoring athletes of the tournament with 159 and 119 points respectively. This was followed by Vince Carter, USA with 118 points and Sarunas Jasikevicius, Lithuania with 112 points.

Athens 2004 - Argentina strikes

Until 2004, only three nations had won the men’s Olympic basketball championship: the United States twelve times, the Soviet Union twice, and Yugoslavia once. At the Games in Athens, it was new nations, Argentina and Italy, who played for the Olympic gold medal in the final.

The United States, the defending Olympic champions, and Serbia and Montenegro, the reigning world champions, were considered pre-tournament favorites. One had to note, however, that the USA had only finished seventh at the most recent World Cup in 2002, and that the Americans had great difficulty assembling a new "Dream Team" of NBA players. They had to ask 30 players before the team was in place, and instead of the expected NBA all-star team, the USA fielded a team with an average age of 23½ years - the youngest American team since 1988, but with profiles such as Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson on the team [39].

The preliminary matches in Athens were played in the Helliniko Olympic Arena, a newly built sports arena with a capacity of 15,000 spectators, after which the final matches were played in the Olympic Indoor Hall, the largest sports hall in Greece with a capacity of 18,000 spectators. The format of the tournament for the 12 participating teams consisted, as at the previous Olympics, of two initial round-robin groups followed by a knockout stage.

The biggest surprise of the tournament already took place on the first day of play, when the USA sensationally lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico. It was the USA’s first defeat at the Olympic Games since NBA players entered the tournament in 1992. Later in the preliminary round, the USA also lost to Lithuania 94-90, and the Americans only made it to the knockout stage from a modest fourth place in Group B. Lithuania finished first in the group by winning all five of its games.

Results 2004 ⮞

Group A was won by Spain, who won all their matches, ahead of Italy and Argentina. The big surprise here was that Serbia and Montenegro, the reigning world champions, finished last in the group with just one win and four defeats [40].

In the semifinals, Argentina and the USA met, and here the South Americans featuring NBA players Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni and Fabricio Oberto on the team, led throughout the game with leads of 43-38 at halftime and 70-57 after the third quarter. The final result was an 89-81 victory for Argentina, and for the first time since 1988 the USA was not part of the Olympic final. In the other semifinal, Italy won 100-91 against Lithuania.

Argentina and Italy met in the final and it was an even match with changing leads throughout the game. Only at the end of the final did Argentina manage to take a decisive lead, and the result was an 84-69 victory and gold medals for the South Americans. It was Argentina’s first medal in Olympic basketball. In the bronze medal game, the USA won 104-96 over Lithuania.

The Spaniard Pau Gasol was the top scorer of the tournament with 157 points ahead of Manu Ginobili with 154 points and the Chinese Yao Ming with 145 points.

Beijing 2008 - The US tightens its grip

The tournament at the 1992 Games in Barcelona was, as described earlier, one of the highlights in the USA’s Olympic basketball history. Here, for the first time, the USA had to field a team made up of players from the professional NBA league, and the American stars were in a class of their own. Also at the subsequent games in 1996 and 2000, it was NBA players who represented the USA, who also won the Olympic tournament. But it was clear that American dominance was waning. In 2004, failure then occurred for the USA, who lost several matches and had to fight hard to win a bronze medal.

In light of this, the Americans chose a new strategy ahead of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. They put one of the country’s most respected coaches, Mike Krzyzewski, at the head of a three-year project in which 30 NBA profiles committed themselves to playing for the national team in the period leading up to the Olympics. The result of this was that the USA could go to Beijing with a strong team with players such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade [41]

The tournament in Beijing was played in the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium, a newly built sports hall with a capacity of 18.000 spectators. The format of the tournament for the 12 participating teams consisted, as at the previous Olympics, of two initial round-robin groups from which the best teams advanced to the knockout stage with quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

The USA proved to be by far the best team in Beijing. The team came through the opening group with wins in all five games and an average score of over 100 points per match. The preliminary Group A was won by Lithuania ahead of Argentina, the 2004 Olympic champions, with four wins each. In Group B, it was noted that the USA won as surely as 119-82 over Spain [42].

Results 2008 ⮞

In the knockout stage, Spain won 72-59 over Croatia in the quarterfinals and 91-86 against Lithuania in the semifinals. Similarly, the USA won with 116-85 over Australia in the quarterfinals and with 101-81 against the defending champions Argentina in the semifinals, whereby the USA got a welcome revenge for the defeat to the South Americans in the semifinals in 2004. Then the USA and Spain met in the final, and here the Americans were for the first time in the tournament under pressure. For example, the USA was only ahead by four points with two minutes left in the game. However, the result was a 118-107 victory for the USA, and the USA thus won its 13th Olympic gold medal out of a possible 17. The bronze medal was won by Argentina with an 87-75 victory over Lithuania [43].

Spanish NBA star Pau Gasol became the tournament’s top scorer for the second consecutive Olympics with 157 points ahead of Luis Scola, Argentina with 151 points and Dwyane Wade, USA with 128 points.

London 2012 - USA and Spain as superpowers

As was the case four years earlier in Beijing, the United States showed up at the 2012 Olympic Games in London with a strong team characterized by profiles from the NBA league. With names like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul on the team, the United States was considered in advance to be the clear favorite for the gold medal in London. The favorite status was supported by the fact that the USA ran as reigning world champion from 2010. On the other hand, everyone had to recognize that several countries, e.g. Spain and Argentina, in the years leading up to the Olympics had approached USA’s level [44].

The opening games of the basketball tournament were played at the Basketball Arena in Olympic Park in the London borough of Stratford. The final matches were then played in the spectacular The O2 Arena, which was built in connection with the turn of the millennium under the name Millennium Dome and during the Olympic period renamed the North Greenwich Arena. The format of the tournament for the 12 participating teams consisted, as at the previous Olympics, of two preliminary round-robin groups followed by a knockout stage with quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

Already in the opening round-robin it was clear that the USA was the tournament’s best team. The Americans won all five pool matches in group A, including solid wins over France and Argentina. In a game against Nigeria, which the USA won 156–73, the team recorded both the highest score and the largest point differential ever in an Olympic basketball game. Group B was won by Russia and Brazil, both with four wins and a single defeat [45].

In the group matches, after two defeats, Spain had only progressed to the finals from third place in the group. In the knockout matches, Spain showed its expected strength, and with victories over Lithuania in the quarterfinals and Russia in the semifinals, the team played in the final. Here the USA waited after clear victories over Australia in the quarterfinals and Argentina in the semifinals. A final for the Olympic gold medal was thus planned between the same two nations as in Beijing four years earlier.

Results 2012 ⮞

As in Beijing, the final was an even match, with Spain pressuring the American favorites throughout the match. For example, the USA was only ahead by a single point, 59-58, after the second quarter. In the end, however, the USA was the strongest, and with a 107-100 victory, the Americans won their 14th Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball. The bronze medal was won by Russia after an 81-77 victory over Argentina.

Kevin Durant, USA became the top scorer of the tournament with 156 points ahead of Manu Ginobili, Argentina with 155 points and Pau Gasol, Spain with 153 points.

Rio 2016 - Serbia as the USA’s challenger

As usual, the USA was considered the heavy favorite to win gold in the basketball tournament in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, the first time the Olympic Games were held in South America. The USA had won gold at the last two Olympics and had also won the World Championship in both 2010 and 2014. In addition, the USA had not lost a single international match since 2006, and as in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics USA fielded a strong team consisting entirely of players from the NBA league. Admittedly, some of the really big profiles were missing. Kobe Bryant was about to end his career, and both LeBron James and Stephen Curry chose to withdraw from the Olympics. But Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony were there, and that would prove to be quite sufficient [46].

The basketball tournament was held in the Carioca Arena 1, a newly built sports arena with a capacity of 16.000 spectators and located in the Olympic Parc in the western part of Rio de Janeiro. The format of the tournament for the 12 participating teams consisted, as at the previous Olympics, of two preliminary round-robin groups followed by a knockout stage with quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

Group A in the opening group stage was, as expected, won by the USA. The Americans won all five games, but in several games the team was in unexpected trouble. Thus the USA won over Serbia by only 94-91 and over France by only 100-97. Group B was an even affair with four teams finishing top, all with three wins and two defeats. Croatia was listed as the winner of the group ahead of Spain and Lithuania.

In the knockout matches, Serbia once again showed its strength by first winning 86-83 in a close quarterfinal against Croatia and then reaching the final with an 87-61 win over Australia in the semifinal. As expected, the USA also performed well in the knockouts with convincing victories over Argentina in the quarterfinals and Spain in the semifinals.

Results 2016 ⮞

The Olympic final was thus a repeat of the final at the last World Cup in September 2014, where Serbia and the USA also met in the final match. Here the USA won clearly by a margin of 37 points, but in Rio Serbia had come close to beating the Americans in the opening group stage, so it looked like a more even final this time. However, it did not turn out that way. The US was superior throughout the entire game and won the third consecutive Olympic gold medal with a 96-66 victory. In the bronze medal match, Spain won 89-88 over Australia [47].

Pau Gasol, Spain became the top scorer of the tournament with 156 points ahead of Kevin Durant, USA with 155 points and Bojan Bogdanovic, Croatia with 152 points.

Tokyo 2020 - France reaches for the title

The Olympic Games in Tokyo and thus also the basketball tournament were held under very special circumstances. The Games were originally scheduled to open on 24 July 2020, but on 24 March 2020 it was decided to postpone the Games by one year to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The competitions in 2021 were held without public spectators, also due to the pandemic [48].

The postponement of the Games had an impact on the preparation of the participating nations and athletes for the Games. This was, among other things, the case in the United States, where the 2021 NBA tournament only ended a week before the opening in Tokyo due to the pandemic, which caused a number of NBA players to opt out of the Olympics. Despite this, the USA, the gold winners from the last three Olympics, were considered to be the clear favorites to also win in Tokyo. On the other hand, it was clear that this time the USA would hardly be as dominant as before.

The basketball tournament was played in the newly built Saitama Super Arena in the city of Saitama approx. 30 km north of Tokyo, a sports complex that, with a total capacity of 36,500 spectators, was among the largest in the world. The format of the tournament for the 12 participating teams consisted, as at the previous Olympics, of preliminary round-robin groups followed by a knockout stage with quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Compared to earlier, however, the group stage was now divided into three groups instead of previously two groups.

Already on the first day of basketball, the biggest surprise of the tournament occurred when France won 83-76 over the favorites from the USA in the opening group A. However, the USA won the following two games in the group over Iran and the Czech Republic, and the Americans thus qualified for the quarterfinals from second place in the group. The three groups were won by France, Australia and Slovenia, all with three wins each.

Results 2020 ⮞

In the knockout phase, the USA showed its usual strength with convincing victories over Spain in the quarterfinals and Australia in the semifinals. In the final, the Americans again faced France, who reached the finals after a comfortable victory over Italy in the quarterfinals and a close 90-89 decision over Slovenia in the semifinals. The final had a different course than the match in the initial group between the USA and France. The Americans were one step ahead for most of the game, and with an 87-82 victory, the United States won its 16th Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball. In the bronze medal match, Australia won 107-93 over Slovenia [49].