Basketball at the Olympic Games

Basketball was admitted as an Olympic sport for the first time in 1936 in Berlin, and has been on the program ever since. A women's basketball tournament was added in 1976. For the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, a 3x3 basketball event for men and women was added to the program, bringing the total number of basketball gold medals available to four.

US college basketball game

Basketball at the Paris Olympics 2024

The Paris 2024 Olympics featured both men's and women's 5x5 basketball tournaments, as well as men's and women's 3x3 basketball tournaments, for a total of four basketball gold medals.

According to FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis, the Paris 2024 Olympics set attendance records for basketball. The 5x5 basketball matches were played at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, with the final phase held at the Accor Arena (Paris-Bercy) in Paris, where approximately 27,000 fans attended group stage games. The 3x3 matches were played at the Place de la Concorde, a large public square in Paris, creating an urban festival atmosphere.

The average attendance for group-phase games surged to approximately 22,000 fans, a dramatic increase from the average of about 3,000 at Rio de Janeiro 2016. This growth demonstrates the expanding global popularity of Olympic basketball.

Basketball at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics

The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will showcase basketball at two premier venues, marking a new era for the sport in Southern California. The Games, scheduled for July 14-30, 2028, will feature both 5x5 and 3x3 basketball competitions in state-of-the-art facilities.

Intuit Dome - The Future of 5x5 Basketball

All 5x5 basketball competitions (men's and women's) will take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. This brand-new arena opened in August 2024 as the home of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers and represents the cutting edge of sports venue design.

IOC President Thomas Bach, who visited the venue in 2024, praised the facility: "These venues are impressive, the athletes can look forward to an extraordinary experience at the Olympic Games LA28." The arena's bowl-shaped layout and steep seating enhance the atmosphere, while its sustainable design reflects LA28's commitment to environmental responsibility.

Sepulveda Basin - Home of 3x3 Basketball

The 3x3 basketball tournaments (men's and women's) will be held at the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles' second-largest urban park. According to FIBA 3x3 Managing Director Alex Sanchez, this venue "embodies the spirit of 3x3 — open, dynamic, and rooted in the community."

The Sepulveda Basin will transform into an urban sports park, hosting 3x3 basketball alongside BMX freestyle, BMX racing, skateboarding, and modern pentathlon. This marks the first time in Olympic history that the San Fernando Valley has hosted Olympic events, bringing the Games to a new part of Los Angeles.

Historical Milestones

Notable Facts and Records

• Basketball was also a demonstration event in St Louis 1904.
• In 1936, the first-ever basketball final was played on a dirt court in the rain, which made dribbling impossible. The United States team beat Canada 19 to 8.
• The medals for the 1936 Olympic Games basketball tournament were awarded by James Naismith, the inventor of basketball.
• In 1972, the U.S. basketball team lost a game for the first time, defeated by the Soviet Union. However, the US team refused to accept the silver medal, claiming that the clock had been improperly restarted in the final moments.
• In 1988, the last American Olympic basketball team to play without NBA players won the bronze medal.
• In 1992, with the door open to professional athletes, the U.S. sent a "Dream Team" including Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Karl Malone. As expected, they went undefeated throughout the tournament.
• The best all-time performing basketball player at the Olympic Games is US female player Diana Taurasi, who won six gold medals between 2004 and 2024, breaking her previous tie with teammate Sue Bird. At age 42 during Paris 2024, Taurasi became the only basketball player in Olympic history with six gold medals. She retired from professional basketball in February 2025. See more on the Greatest Basketball Players at the Olympics.
• In London 2012, Australian basketballer Liz Cambage became the first woman in Olympic history to dunk the basketball when she slammed one over the top of her Russian opponents during the Opals' 70-66 win over Russia.
• America's men's basketball team scored an Olympic record 156 points when they beat Nigeria at London 2012, surpassing the previous Olympic record of 138 scored by Brazil against Egypt at Seoul 1988.
• A record 121 NBA and WNBA players were featured on national team rosters for the 2020 Tokyo Games, compared to the previous record of 72 at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
• South Sudan, the youngest nation in the world having gained independence 12 years previously, secured a historic place at the Paris 2024 Olympics men's basketball tournament.
• The USA women's basketball team won gold at Paris 2024 for a record-breaking eighth Games in a row (and 10th overall), extending their winning streak to 61 consecutive Olympic contests dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Games.
• The Paris 2024 women's gold medal game between USA and France ended 67-66, marking the first one-point game in USA women's Olympic basketball history.