Basketball at the Summer Olympics

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Basketball at the Summer Olympics
IOC Discipline CodeBKB
Governing bodyFIBA
Events4 (men: 2; women: 2)
Games
  • 1896
  • 1900
  • 1904
  • 1908
  • 1912
  • 1920
Note: demonstration or exhibition sport years indicated in italics

Basketball at the Summer Olympics has been a sport for men consistently since 1936. Prior to its inclusion as a medal sport, basketball was held as an unofficial demonstration event in 1904 and 1924. Women's basketball made its debut in the Summer Olympics in 1976. FIBA organizes both the men's and women's FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournaments and the Summer Olympics basketball tournaments, which are sanctioned by the IOC.[1]

The United States is by far the most successful country in Olympic basketball, with United States men's teams having won 16 of 19 tournaments in which they participated, including seven consecutive titles from 1936 through 1968. United States women's teams have won eight titles out of the 10 tournaments in which they competed, including seven in a row from 1996 to 2020. Besides the United States, Argentina is the only nation still in existence which has won either the men's or women's tournament. The Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and the Unified Team are the countries no longer in existence who have won the tournament. The United States are the defending champions in both men's and women's tournaments.

On 9 June 2017, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee announced that 3x3 basketball would become an official Olympic sport as of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, for both men and women.[2][3]

History[edit]

Basketball was invented by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891. Within a few decades, the new game became popular throughout the United States as an indoor sport. The popularity spread overseas and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) was organized in 1932 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) had a big part in the spread of this sport to many countries, and as many as 21 teams competed in the first Olympic basketball tournament.[4]

American dominance[edit]

Thanks in part to the effort of Phog Allen[5][6]—a Kansas Jayhawks collegiate coach—the first Olympic basketball tournament was organized in the 1936 Berlin Olympics on outdoor tennis courts. Dr. Naismith presented the medals to the top three teams. According to the Olympic rules of that time, all of the competitors were amateurs. The tournament was held indoors for the first time in 1948. The American team proved its dominance, winning the first seven Olympic tournaments through 1968, without losing a single game. While the Americans were barred from sending a team that contained players from the professional National Basketball Association, they instead sent in college players; teams from some other countries sent in their best players, as some of their players were classified as "amateur" by FIBA, by earning allowances instead of wages.

Munich and after[edit]

The U.S. winning streak ended in 1972 in one of the most controversial matches in history, when the Soviet Union beat them in the gold-medal game by one point.

The U.S. team reclaimed the gold medal in 1976, with Yugoslavia, which had beaten the Soviet Union in the semifinal, finishing runner-up for the second time. In 1980, with the Americans' absence due to the boycott, Yugoslavia became the third team to win the title, after beating the Soviets anew in the semifinals and Italy in the final. The Americans regained the title in 1984, by beating Spain in the final, with the Soviets boycotting this time. The Soviets won the gold medal for the second time in 1988, after beating the U.S. team for the second time in the semifinal, and the Yugoslavs in the gold medal game.

Professional era: renewed American dominance[edit]

The advent of the state-sponsored "full-time amateur athlete" of the Eastern Bloc countries eroded the ideology of the pure amateur, as it put the self-financed amateurs of the Western countries at a disadvantage. The Soviet Union entered teams of athletes who were all nominally listed in the military, but all of whom were in fact paid by the state to train full-time.[4][7][8][9] In April 1989, through the leadership of Secretary General Borislav Stanković, FIBA approved the rule that allowed NBA players to compete in international tournaments, including the Olympics.[4] In the 1992 Summer Olympics, the U.S. "Dream Team" won the gold medal with an average winning margin of 44 points per game, and without calling a timeout. By this time, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia no longer existed, but their successor states continued to be among the leading forces. Two newly independent countries of the former Yugoslavia and Soviet Union, Croatia and Lithuania, won the silver and bronze medals respectively.

The American team repeated its victory in 1996 and 2000, but its performance was not as dominant as in 1992. Since active NBA players have been allowed to compete in the Summer Olympics, the 1996 Games in Atlanta is the only instance where the Olympic host city also had a home NBA team — the Hawks. Yugoslavia was the runner-up in Atlanta, and France in Sydney, with Lithuania winning bronze again on both occasions.

The renewed dominance of the U.S. was interrupted in 2004, when the Americans barely made it to the semifinal, after losing to Puerto Rico and Lithuania in the preliminaries; Argentina defeated them in the semifinals, on their way to a gold medal finish, where they beat Italy in the final, and became the fourth team to win the Olympic title.

The Americans regrouped in 2008, beating the reigning FIBA world champions, Spain, in an intense gold medal game, with the Argentines beating the Lithuanians in the bronze medal game. The Americans and the Spaniards met again in the 2012 gold medal game, with the U.S. again winning, although with the closest winning margin for the American team. The U.S. won again in 2016, defeating the Serbians in the gold medal game, a rematch of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup Final, after eliminating the Spaniards, who settled for bronze. The team defended their title by winning again in the 2020 game in Tokyo, extending their run to four consecutive gold medal finishes, and seven out of the last eight tournaments.

Women[edit]

The first women's tournament was staged in the 1976 Summer Olympics. The Soviet Union won five straight games, becoming the inaugural champion. The next two tournaments followed the six-team round-robin format, with the Soviets defending their title in 1980 amid the U.S.-led boycott, and the U.S. winning in 1984, against the South Koreans, amid the Soviet-led boycott. In 1988, the tournament expanded into eight teams, with the Americans beating Yugoslavia in the gold medal game. In 1992, the Unified Team, consisting of the former Soviet republics, defeated China in the gold medal game. In 1996, the tournament settled into its current 12-team format; the U.S. has swept all of the tournaments since then, winning 48 consecutive games.

Venues[edit]

All venues were indoor stadiums except for the 1936 tournament, which was held outdoors on lawn tennis courts.

  1. ^ The O2 Arena was known as the North Greenwich Arena during the games due to Olympics regulations regarding corporate sponsorship of event sites.
  2. ^ The Accor Arena wil be known as the Bercy Arena during the games due to Olympics regulations regarding corporate sponsorship of event sites.

Qualifying[edit]

As of 2012, the qualifying process consists of three stages:

  1. 1 team (for each gender) qualifies as the reigning world champion.
  2. 7 teams for men and 5 for women qualify through their respective regional championships.
  3. 3 teams for men and 5 for women qualify through a world qualifying tournament, in which the best teams which did not qualify directly from each zone compete for the remaining berths.

Additionally, the teams of the host nation qualify automatically.

Zone Men Women
World Cup 1 1
African championship 1 1
Americas championship 2 1
Asian championship 1 1
European championship 2 1
Oceania championship 1 1
World qualifying tournament 3 5
Host Nation 1 1
Total 12 12

In 2020, the men's tournament will have a new qualification system. After the 2019 FIBA World Cup, seven teams will qualify directly: the top two European and American teams, and the top team from Africa, Asia and Oceania. The next 16 best teams from the FIBA World Cup will join the two teams from each continent at the Olympic qualifiers. It will feature four groups of six teams, where the best team of each group will get the remaining spots at the Olympics. The continental championships will no longer be used for Olympic qualifying.

Men[edit]

Summaries[edit]

Year Hosts Gold medal game Bronze medal game
Gold Score Silver Bronze Score Fourth place
1936
Details
Nazi Germany
Berlin

United States
19–8
Canada

Mexico
26–12
Poland
1948
Details
United Kingdom
London

United States
65–21
France

Brazil
52–47
Mexico
1952
Details
Finland
Helsinki

United States
36–25
Soviet Union

Uruguay
68–59
Argentina
1956
Details
Australia
Melbourne

United States
89–55
Soviet Union

Uruguay
71–62
France
1960
Details
Italy
Rome

United States
81–57
Soviet Union

Brazil
78–75
Italy
1964
Details
Japan
Tokyo

United States
73–59
Soviet Union

Brazil
76–60
Puerto Rico
1968
Details
Mexico
Mexico City

United States
65–50
Yugoslavia

Soviet Union
70–53
Brazil
1972
Details
West Germany
Munich

Soviet Union
51–50
United States

Cuba
66–65
Italy
1976
Details
Canada
Montreal

United States
95–74
Yugoslavia

Soviet Union
100–72
Canada
1980
Details
Soviet Union
Moscow

Yugoslavia
86–77
Italy[a]

Soviet Union
117–94
Spain[a]
1984
Details
United States
Los Angeles

United States
96–65
Spain

Yugoslavia
88–82
Canada
1988
Details
South Korea
Seoul

Soviet Union
76–63
Yugoslavia

United States
78–49
Australia
1992
Details
Spain
Barcelona

United States
117–85
Croatia

Lithuania
82–78
Unified Team
1996
Details
United States
Atlanta

United States
95–69
Yugoslavia

Lithuania
80–74
Australia
2000
Details
Australia
Sydney

United States
85–75
France

Lithuania
89–71
Australia
2004
Details
Greece
Athens

Argentina
84–69
Italy

United States
104–96
Lithuania
2008
Details
China
Beijing

United States
118–107
Spain

Argentina
87–75
Lithuania
2012
Details
United Kingdom
London

United States
107–100
Spain

Russia
81–77
Argentina
2016
Details
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro

United States
96–66
Serbia

Spain
89–88
Australia
2020[b]
Details
Japan
Tokyo

United States
87–82
France

Australia
107–93
Slovenia
2024
Details
France
Paris
  1. ^ a b Several teams competed under the Olympic Flag during the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott.
  2. ^ The 2020 Summer Olympics were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medal table[edit]

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States (USA)161219
2 Soviet Union (URS)2439
3 Yugoslavia (YUG)1315
4 Argentina (ARG)1012
5 Spain (ESP)0314
6 France (FRA)0303
7 Italy (ITA)0202
8 Canada (CAN)0101
 Croatia (CRO)0101
 Serbia (SRB)0101
 Serbia and Montenegro (SCG)0101
12 Brazil (BRA)0033
 Lithuania (LTU)0033
14 Uruguay (URU)0022
15 Australia (AUS)0011
 Cuba (CUB)0011
 Mexico (MEX)0011
 Russia (RUS)0011
Totals (18 entries)20202060
  • Soviet Union (as of 1992) and Yugoslavia (as of 2006) are defunct. No team carried over the records of these nations.
  • Yugoslavia has been the designation from two distinct national entities: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1948 to 1988 formed as a joint state of 6 republics; Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1996 to 2006 formed as a joint state by only Montenegro and Serbia. In 2003, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was renamed to Serbia and Montenegro, however both Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro represented the same national entity: a joint state of Montenegro and Serbia.

Performance by confederation[edit]

This is a summary of the best performances of each confederation in each tournament.

Confederation 1936
Nazi Germany
1948
United Kingdom
1952
Finland
1956
Australia
1960
Italy
1964
Japan
1968
Mexico
1972
West Germany
1976
Canada
1980
Soviet Union
1984
United States
1988
South Korea
1992
Spain
1996
United States
2000
Australia
2004
Greece
2008
China
2012
United Kingdom
2016
Brazil
2020
Japan
2024
France
FIBA Africa 15th–18th 19th 9th–16th 15th 15th 12th 11th 12th 10th 10th 11th 12th 12th 12th 10th 11th 10th Q
FIBA Americas 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 1st 5th 1st 3rd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st Q
FIBA Asia 5th 8th 9th–16th 7th 11th 10th 13th 13th 11th 12th 10th 9th 12th 8th 10th 8th 8th 12th 12th 11th Q
FIBA Europe 4th 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd Q
FIBA Oceania 12th 9th 9th 8th 8th 7th 4th 6th 4th 4th 9th 7th 7th 4th 3rd Q
Nations 21 23 23 15 16 16 16 16 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

Participating nations[edit]

Nation 1936
Nazi Germany
1948
United Kingdom
1952
Finland
1956
Australia
1960
Italy
1964
Japan
1968
Mexico
1972
West Germany
1976
Canada
1980
Soviet Union
1984
United States
1988
South Korea
1992
Spain
1996
United States
2000
Australia
2004
Greece
2008
China
2012
United Kingdom
2016
Brazil
2020
Japan
2024
France
Years
 Angola A 10th 11th 12th 12th 12th 5
 Argentina 15th 4th 9th 1st 3rd 4th 8th 7th 8
 Australia 12th 9th 9th 8th 8th 7th 4th 6th 4th 4th 9th 7th 7th 4th 3rd Q 16
 Belgium 19th 11th 17th 3
 Brazil 9th 3rd 6th 6th 3rd 3rd 4th 7th 5th 9th 5th 5th 6th 5th 9th 15
 Bulgaria 7th 5th 16th 10th 4
 Canada 2nd 9th 9th 9th 14th 4th 4th 6th 7th Q 10
 Central African Republic A 10th 1
 Chile 9th 6th 5th 8th 4
 China A 10th 11th 12th 8th 10th 8th 8th 12th 12th 9
 Chinese TaipeiB 15th 18th 11th 3
 Croatia C 2nd 7th 6th 5th 4
 Cuba 13th 9th 11th 3rd 7th 6th 6
 Czech Republic K 9th 1
 Czechoslovakia 9th 7th 9th 5th 8th 6th 9th A 7
 Egypt 15th 19th 9th 16th 12th 12th 12th 7
 Estonia 9th D 1
 Finland 9th 11th 2
 France 19th 2nd 8th 4th 10th 11th 2nd 6th 6th 2nd Q 11
 GermanyE 15th 12th 8th 7th 10th 8th Q 7
 Great Britain 20th 9th 2
 Greece 17th 5th 5th 5th 4
 Hungary 16th 9th 9th 13th 4
 India 12th 1
 Iran 14th 11th 12th 3
 Iraq 22nd 1
 Ireland 23rd 1
 Israel A 17th 1
 Italy 7th 17th 17th 4th 5th 8th 4th 5th 2nd 5th 5th 2nd 5th 13
 Japan 9th 10th 15th 10th 14th 11th 11th Q 8
 Latvia 15th D 1
 Lithuania D 3rd 3rd 3rd 4th 4th 8th 7th 7
 Mexico 3rd 4th 9th 12th 12th 5th 10th 7
 Morocco A 16th 1
 New Zealand 11th 10th 2
 Nigeria 10th 11th 10th 3
 Panama 12th 1
 Peru 8th 10th 15th 3
 Philippines 5th 12th 9th 7th 11th 13th 13th 7
 Poland 4th 7th 6th 6th 10th 7th 6
 Puerto Rico A 13th 4th 9th 6th 9th 7th 8th 10th 6th 9
 Romania 17th 1
 Russia D F 8th 9th 3rd 3
 Senegal A 15th 15th 11th 3
 Serbia G H 2nd Q 2
 Serbia and Montenegro G 11th A 1
 Singapore A 13th I 1
 Slovenia C 4th 1
 South Korea A 8th 14th 16th 14th 9th 12th 6
 South Sudan A Q 1
 Soviet Union J 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 1st 3rd 3rd 1st F A 9
 Spain 14th 7th 11th 4th 2nd 8th 9th 9th 7th 2nd 2nd 3rd 6th 13
 Sweden 10th 1
  Switzerland 9th 21st 17th 3
 Thailand A 15th 1
 Tunisia 11th 1
 Turkey 19th 17th 2
 Unified Team A 4th A 1
 United States 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 1st 1st 3rd 1st 1st 1st 3rd 1st 1st 1st 1st Q 20
 Uruguay 6th 5th 3rd 3rd 8th 8th 6th 7
 Venezuela 11th 10th 2
 Yugoslavia 6th 7th 2nd 5th 2nd 1st 3rd 2nd 2nd 6th A 10
Nations 21 23 23 15 16 16 16 16 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

Notes[edit]

^A The NOC was not member of the IOC.
^B As Taiwan China from 1936 to 1956.
^C Part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia from 1936 to 1988.
^D Part of  Soviet Union.
^E As West Germany West Germany from 1968 to 1988.
^F Part of  Unified Team in 1992.
^G Now Serbia Serbia, part of  Yugoslavia in 1936–1988, as  Independent Olympic Participants (IOP) in 1992 and part of  Yugoslavia in 1996–2000.
^H Part of  Serbia and Montenegro in 2004.
^I Part of Malaysia Malaysia in 1964.
^J The Soviet Union chose not to compete in 1936 and 1948.
^K Part of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia from 1920 to 1992.

Women[edit]

Summaries[edit]

Year Hosts Gold medal game Bronze medal game
Gold Score Silver Bronze Score Fourth place
1976
Details
Canada
Montreal

Soviet Union
112–77
United States

Bulgaria
67–66
Czechoslovakia
1980
Details
Soviet Union
Moscow

Soviet Union
104–73
Bulgaria

Yugoslavia
68–65
Hungary
1984
Details
United States
Los Angeles

United States
85–55
South Korea

China
63–57
Canada
1988
Details
South Korea
Seoul

United States
77–70
Yugoslavia

Soviet Union
68–53
Australia
1992
Details
Spain
Barcelona

Unified Team
76–66
China

United States
88–74
Cuba
1996
Details
United States
Atlanta

United States
111–87
Brazil

Australia
66–56
Ukraine
2000
Details
Australia
Sydney

United States
76–54
Australia

Brazil
84–73 (OT)
South Korea
2004
Details
Greece
Athens

United States
74–63
Australia

Russia
71–62
Brazil
2008
Details
China
Beijing

United States
92–65
Australia

Russia
94–81
China
2012
Details
United Kingdom
London

United States
86–50
France

Australia
83–74
Russia
2016
Details
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro

United States
101–72
Spain

Serbia
70–63
France
2020[a]
Details
Japan
Tokyo

United States
90–75
Japan

France
91–76
Serbia
2024
Details
France
Paris
  1. ^ The 2020 Summer Olympics were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medal table[edit]

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States (USA)91111
2 Soviet Union (URS)2013
3 Unified Team (EUN)1001
4 Australia (AUS)0325
5 Brazil (BRA)0112
 Bulgaria (BUL)0112
 China (CHN)0112
 France (FRA)0112
 Yugoslavia (YUG)0112
10 Japan (JPN)0101
 South Korea (KOR)0101
 Spain (ESP)0101
13 Russia (RUS)0022
14 Serbia (SRB)0011
Totals (14 entries)12121236
  • Soviet Union (as of 1992) and Yugoslavia (as of 2006) are defunct. No team carried over the records of these nations.
  • Yugoslavia has been the designation from two distinct national entities: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1948 to 1988 formed as a joint state of 6 republics; Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1996 to 2006 formed as a joint state by only Montenegro and Serbia.

Performance by confederation[edit]

This is a summary of the best performances of each confederation in each tournament.

Confederation 1976
Canada
1980
Soviet Union
1984
United States
1988
South Korea
1992
Spain
1996
United States
2000
Australia
2004
Greece
2008
China
2012
United Kingdom
2016
Brazil
2020
Japan
2024
France
FIBA Africa 12th 12th 11th 12th 12th 12th 11th
FIBA Americas 2nd 5th 1st 1st 3rd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st Q
FIBA Asia 5th 2nd 6th 2nd 7th 4th 9th 4th 5th 8th 2nd
FIBA Europe 1st 1st 6th 2nd 1st 4th 5th 3rd 3rd 2nd 2nd 3rd Q
FIBA Oceania 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 5th 8th
Nations 6 6 6 8 8 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

Participating nations[edit]

Nation 1976
Canada
1980
Soviet Union
1984
United States
1988
South Korea
1992
Spain
1996
United States
2000
Australia
2004
Greece
2008
China
2012
United Kingdom
2016
Brazil
2020
Japan
2024
France
Years
 Angola 12th 1
 Australia 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 5th 8th Q 10
 Belarus B C 6th 9th 2
 Belgium 7th Q 2
 Brazil 7th 2nd 3rd 4th 11th 9th 11th 7
 Bulgaria 3rd 2nd 5th 3
 Canada 6th 4th 11th 10th 8th 7th 9th Q 8
 China A 3rd 6th 2nd 9th 9th 4th 6th 10th 5th Q 10
 Croatia F 10th 1
 Cuba 5th 4th 6th 9th 4
 Czech Republic D 5th 7th 7th 3
 Czechoslovakia 4th 8th 6th A 3
 DR CongoE 12th 1
 France 5th 2nd 4th 3rd Q 5
 Germany Q 1
 Great Britain 11th 1
 Greece 7th 1
 Hungary 4th 1
 Italy 6th 8th 8th 3
 Japan 5th 7th 10th 8th 2nd Q 6
 Latvia B 9th 1
 Mali 12th 1
 New Zealand 11th 8th 10th 3
 Nigeria 11th 11th Q 3
 Poland 8th 1
 Puerto Rico 12th Q 2
 Russia B C 5th 6th 3rd 3rd 4th 5
 Senegal 12th 12th 2
 Serbia F 3rd 4th Q 3
 Slovakia D 7th 1
 South Korea 2nd 7th 10th 4th 12th 8th 10th 7
 Soviet Union 1st 1st 3rd C A 3
 Spain 5th 6th 5th 2nd 6th Q 6
 Turkey 5th 6th 2
 Ukraine B C 4th 1
 Unified Team A 1st A 1
 United States 2nd 1st 1st 3rd 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st Q 12
 Yugoslavia 3rd 6th 2nd A 3
Nations 6 6 6 8 8 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

Notes[edit]

^A NOC was not member of IOC
^B competed as part of Soviet Union Soviet Union from 1952–88
^C part of  Unified Team in 1992
^D part of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia from 1920–92
^E as Zaire Zaire from 1984–96
^F part of "Yugoslavia" from 1976–2000 and "Serbia and Montenegro" in 2004

Total medal table[edit]

Sources:[10]

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 United States (USA)252330
2 Soviet Union (URS)44412
3 Yugoslavia (YUG)1427
4 Argentina (ARG)1012
5 Unified Team (EUN)1001
6 France (FRA)0415
 Spain (ESP)0415
8 Australia (AUS)0336
9 Italy (ITA)0202
10 Brazil (BRA)0145
11 Bulgaria (BUL)0112
 China (CHN)0112
 Serbia (SRB)0112
14 Canada (CAN)0101
 Croatia (CRO)0101
 Japan (JPN)0101
 Serbia and Montenegro (SCG)0101
 South Korea (KOR)0101
19 Lithuania (LTU)0033
 Russia (RUS)0033
21 Uruguay (URU)0022
22 Cuba (CUB)0011
 Mexico (MEX)0011
Totals (23 entries)32323296
  • Soviet Union (as of 1992) and Yugoslavia (as of 2006) are defunct. No team carried over the records of these nations.
  • Yugoslavia has been the designation from two distinct national entities: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1948 to 1988 formed as a joint state of 6 republics; Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1996 to 2006 formed as a joint state by only Montenegro and Serbia. In 2003, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was renamed to Serbia and Montenegro, however both Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro represented the same national entity: a joint state of Montenegro and Serbia.

Win–loss records[edit]

Men's tournament[edit]

Team Games played Wins Losses Winning percentage
 Angola 31 3 28 .097
 Argentina 57 33 24 .579
 Australia 111 57 54 .514
 Belgium 13 6 7 .462
 Brazil 111 65 46 .586
 Bulgaria 33 16 17 .485
 Canada 66 36 30 .545
 Central African Republic 7 2 5 .286
 Chile 26 12 14 .462
 China 50 7 43 .140
 Chinese Taipei 28 16 12 .571
 Croatia 28 16 12 .571
 Cuba 45 22 23 .489
 Czechoslovakia 46 23 23 .500
 Czech Republic 3 1 2 .333
 Egypt 44 6 38 .136
 Estonia 3 1 2 .333
 Finland 12 4 8 .333
 France 66 36 30 .545
 Germany 38 11 27 .289
 Great Britain 13 2 11 .154
 Greece 24 13 11 .542
 Hungary 33 14 19 .424
 India 7 0 7 .000
 Iran 15 2 13 .133
 Iraq 7 0 7 .000
 Ireland 6 0 6 .000
 Israel 2 0 2 .000
 Italy 95 56 39 .589
 Japan 44 11 33 .250
 South Korea 47 8 39 .170
 Latvia 3 1 2 .333
 Lithuania 52 32 20 .615
 Mexico 49 26 23 .531
 Morocco 9 0 9 .000
 New Zealand 12 2 10 .167
 Nigeria 13 2 11 .154
 Panama 9 2 7 .222
 Peru 22 9 13 .409
 Philippines 52 25 27 .481
 Poland 49 23 26 .469
 Puerto Rico 72 34 38 .472
 Romania 2 0 2 .000
 Russia 20 10 10 .500
 Senegal 24 2 22 .083
 Serbia 35 19 16 .543
 Singapore 7 2 5 .286
 Slovenia 6 4 2 .667
 Soviet Union 74 61 13 .824
 Spain 99 54 45 .545
 Sweden 7 3 4 .429
  Switzerland 13 4 9 .308
 Thailand 7 0 7 .000
 Tunisia 5 0 5 .000
 Turkey 4 0 4 .000
 Unified Team 8 5 3 .625
 United States 149 143 6 .960
 Uruguay 56 29 27 .518
 Venezuela 12 3 9 .250
 Yugoslavia 60 48 12 .800

As of 8 August 2021

Women's tournament[edit]

Team Games Played Wins Losses Winning percentage
 Angola 5 0 5 .000
 Australia 60 41 19 .683
 Belgium 4 2 2 .500
 Brazil 44 19 25 .432
 Belarus 11 3 8 .273
 Bulgaria 16 10 6 .625
 Canada 39 11 28 .282
 China 52 25 27 .481
 Croatia 5 1 4 .200
 Cuba 24 9 15 .375
 Czechoslovakia 15 3 12 .200
 Czech Republic 19 8 11 .421
 France 29 19 10 .655
 Great Britain 5 0 5 .000
 Greece 7 3 4 .429
 Hungary 6 2 4 .333
 Italy 18 3 15 .167
 Japan 31 13 18 .419
 South Korea 41 15 26 .366
 Latvia 5 1 4 .200
 Mali 5 0 5 .000
 New Zealand 18 4 14 .222
 Nigeria 9 1 8 .111
 Poland 7 3 4 .429
 Puerto Rico 3 0 3 .000
 Russia 39 25 14 .641
 Serbia 14 7 7 .500
 Senegal 11 0 11 .000
 Slovakia 7 3 4 .429
 Soviet Union 16 14 2 .875
 Spain 30 19 11 .633
 Turkey 12 7 5 .583
 Ukraine 8 4 4 .500
 Unified Team 5 4 1 .800
 United States 75 72 3 .960
 Yugoslavia 16 8 8 .500
 DR Congo 7 0 7 .000

As of 8 August 2021

Records[edit]

Category Men Women
Biggest game score 229 points: USA 156–73 Nigeria (2012) 190 points: Japan 62–128 Brazil (2004)
Lowest game score 27 points: USA 19–8 Canada (1936) 100 points: Senegal 32–68 Slovakia (2000)
Biggest margin 100 points:
Korea 120–20 Iraq (1948)
China 125–25 Iraq (1948)
66 points:
Japan 62–128 Brazil (2004)
Italy 53–119 Soviet Union (1980)
Games with most overtimes 2 overtimes:
Argentina 111–107 Brazil (2016)
Canada 86–83 Russia (2000)
Lithuania 83–81 Croatia (1996)
Australia 109–101 Brazil (1996)
2 overtimes:
Turkey 79–76 Brazil (2016)
Spain 92–80 Italy (1992)
Longest winning streak 63 games: USA (1936–72) 49 games: USA (1992–2016)
All-time top cumulative scorer 1,093 points: Oscar Schmidt (Brazil) 575 points: Lauren Jackson (Australia)
All-time top average scorer 28.8 points per game: Oscar Schmidt (Brazil) 22 points per game: Lara Sanders (Turkey)
Single game scorer 55 points: Oscar Schmidt (Spain vs. Brazil, 1988) 39 points: Evladiya Slavcheva-Stefanova (Bulgaria vs. South Korea, 1988)

As of 1 May 2018.

Top career scorers[edit]

The International Olympic Committee does not recognize records for basketball, although FIBA does.

Men[edit]

Women[edit]

Top scorer per tournament[edit]

Year Men PPG Women PPG
1948 Mexico Ignacio Romo Porchas 21.0
1952 Czechoslovakia Ivan Mrázek 22.0
1956 Uruguay Oscar Moglia 26.0
1960 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Radivoj Korać 23.6
1964 Peru Ricardo Duarte 23.6
1968 Panama Davis Peralta 23.8
1972 Japan Masatomo Taniguchi 23.9
1976 Australia Ed Palubinskas 31.3 Japan Keiko Namai 20.4
1980 Australia Ian Davies 29.3 Soviet Union Uliana Semanova 21.8
1984 Egypt Mohamed Sayed Soliman 25.6 South Korea Kim Hwa-soon 16.8
1988 Brazil Oscar Schmidt 42.3 South Korea Choi Kyung-hee
Bulgaria Evladiya Slavcheva
19.6
1992 Brazil Oscar Schmidt 24.8 Brazil Hortência Marcari 18.8
1996 Brazil Oscar Schmidt 27.4 Cuba Yamilé Martínez 20.5
2000 Australia Andrew Gaze 19.9 Brazil Janeth Arcain 20.5
2004 Spain Pau Gasol 22.4 Australia Lauren Jackson 22.9
2008 Spain Pau Gasol 19.6 China Miao Lijie 17.3
2012 Australia Patty Mills 21.2 Brazil Érika de Souza 16.2
2016 Croatia Bojan Bogdanović 25.3 Australia Elizabeth Cambage 23.5
2020 Australia Patty Mills 26.8 Belgium Emma Meesseman 27.3

Awards[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Presentation". FIBA.basketball.
  2. ^ "Tokyo 2020 event programme to see major boost for female participation, youth and urban appeal". International Olympic Committee. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  3. ^ "IOC adds 3-on-3 basketball to 2020 Olympics". National Basketball Association. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Naveen Peter (11 February 2023). "History of basketball at Olympics: A tale of American domination". Olympics. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Before They Were Giants". SLAM. 20 August 2008.
  6. ^ "Basketball Hall of Fame – Phog Allen". Archived from the original on 30 December 2007.
  7. ^ "How the Russians break the Olympic rules". The Christian Science Monitor. 15 April 1980.
  8. ^ Washburn, J. N. (21 July 1974). "Soviet Amateur Athlete: A Real Pro". The New York Times.
  9. ^ "Why Can Pros Complete in International Events". usab.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015.
  10. ^ "Olympic Analytics – Medals by Countries". olympanalyt.com. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Men's Olympics Career Leaders and Records for Points". Basketball-Reference.com.

External links[edit]