Olympic Basketball History
Men's basketball became an official Olympic medal sport at the
1936 Berlin Games. The United States won the first
official gold medal and has since become the dominant nation in
Olympic men's basketball.
Basketball had appeared around the Olympic program before 1936.
A basketball tournament was held in St. Louis in 1904 as a non-medal
event, while basketball games were also played in connection with the
1924 Paris Games. Neither event is included in the official Olympic
medal count below.
The United States won its 17th Olympic men's basketball gold
medal in Paris in 2024, defeating France 98-87 in the gold
medal game.
Official Men's Olympic Basketball Results
| Year |
Host |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
4th Place |
| 1936 |
Berlin |
United States |
Canada |
Mexico |
Poland |
| 1948 |
London |
United States |
France |
Brazil |
Mexico |
| 1952 |
Helsinki |
United States |
USSR |
Uruguay |
Argentina |
| 1956 |
Melbourne |
United States |
USSR |
Uruguay |
France |
| 1960 |
Rome |
United States |
USSR |
Brazil |
Italy |
| 1964 |
Tokyo |
United States |
USSR |
Brazil |
Puerto Rico |
| 1968 |
Mexico City |
United States |
Yugoslavia |
USSR |
Brazil |
| 1972 |
Munich |
USSR |
United States * |
Cuba |
Italy |
| 1976 |
Montreal |
United States |
Yugoslavia |
USSR |
Canada |
| 1980 |
Moscow |
Yugoslavia |
Italy |
USSR |
Spain |
| 1984 |
Los Angeles |
United States |
Spain |
Yugoslavia |
Canada |
| 1988 |
Seoul |
USSR |
Yugoslavia |
United States |
Australia |
| 1992 |
Barcelona |
United States |
Croatia |
Lithuania |
Unified Team |
| 1996 |
Atlanta |
United States |
Yugoslavia |
Lithuania |
Australia |
| 2000 |
Sydney |
United States |
France |
Lithuania |
Australia |
| 2004 |
Athens |
Argentina |
Italy |
United States |
Lithuania |
| 2008 |
Beijing |
United States |
Spain |
Argentina |
Lithuania |
| 2012 |
London |
United States |
Spain |
Russia |
Argentina |
| 2016 |
Rio de Janeiro |
United States |
Serbia |
Spain |
Australia |
| 2020 * |
Tokyo |
United States |
France |
Australia |
Slovenia |
| 2024 |
Paris |
United States |
France |
Serbia |
Germany |
Olympic Men's Basketball Medal Count
The medal totals below count only official Olympic men's basketball
tournaments beginning in 1936. The 1904 and 1924 basketball events
are not included.
| Nation |
Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total Medals |
4th Place |
| United States |
17 |
1 |
2 |
20 |
0 |
| USSR |
2 |
4 |
3 |
9 |
0 |
| Yugoslavia |
1 |
4 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
| France |
0 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
| Spain |
0 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
| Brazil |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
| Lithuania |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
| Argentina |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
| Italy |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
| Uruguay |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| Serbia |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
| Australia |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
| Canada |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
| Croatia |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Mexico |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| Cuba |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Russia |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Puerto Rico |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Poland |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Slovenia |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Germany |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Unified Team |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
Basketball Before the Official Olympic Tournament
| Year |
Host |
Status |
Basketball Result / Notes |
| 1904 |
St. Louis |
Non-medal / demonstration-era event |
The Buffalo German YMCA finished first in the men's basketball
competition. No official Olympic basketball medals were awarded.
|
| 1924 |
Paris |
Unofficial exhibition |
Basketball games were included as part of the Jeux de l'Enfance
program connected with the Paris Games. They were not an official
Olympic medal tournament.
|
Olympic Basketball Notes
-
Men's basketball officially became an Olympic medal sport at the
1936 Berlin Games.
-
The United States won the first seven official men's Olympic
basketball tournaments from 1936 through 1968.
-
The controversial 1972 gold-medal game ended with the USSR defeating
the United States 51-50. The U.S. team refused to accept its silver
medals, but the United States remains officially credited with the
silver medal.
-
The United States boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics following the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
-
The Soviet Union and several allied countries boycotted the 1984
Los Angeles Olympics.
-
The 1992 United States team, known as the Dream Team,
was the first U.S. Olympic men's team composed primarily of active NBA
stars.
-
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were postponed until 2021 because of the
COVID-19 pandemic, but the event retained the official
Tokyo 2020 name.
-
The United States defeated France 98-87 in the 2024
gold-medal game in Paris, earning its 17th men's basketball gold medal
and fifth consecutive Olympic title.
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