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• #OLYMPIC BASKETBALL PRO#

#OLYMPIC BASKETBALL PRO#

With the Olympic competition being restricted to amateurs, the best hoopsters in America were kept out of the Olympic team - as they turned pro by joining the NBA - while the top collegiate talent made up the squad. What really hurt them in this phase was the lack of international experience in the squad. They had lost out to the Soviets in the final of the 1970 World University Games and bowed out of the 1971 Pan American Games without a medal.

But a look at their build-up suggested otherwise. USA gets a shock at Munich OlympicsĬoming into the Munich Olympics, the Americans were once again favourites to retain their title. The Soviets had made their presence felt at the continental stage by winning the biennial European Basketball Championships 10 times from 1951 to 1971 and the FIBA World Championships in 1972.Īnd when the 1972 Munich Olympics came around, their sole focus was to capture the only title missing from their cabinet - an Olympic gold in basketball. This period also saw the rise of the Soviet Union as a force in the international basketball scene. With the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) playing a key role in spreading the sport to various nations, as many as 21 teams competed for the top honours at the Berlin 1936 Games.īut none could stand in the USA’s way as they romped home to emphatic wins in each of their matches to take home the gold. Having invented the sport in the late 1800s, it was no surprise that the USA dominated basketball once it was included as a medal event at the 1936 Olympics. This includes an unbeaten run that’s still in place and dates back to Atlanta 1996. The USA women’s basketball team, meanwhile, has pocketed the gold medal on nine occasions. The USA Olympic men’s basketball team has won the gold medal a record 16 times, which includes an unbeaten streak from 1936 to 1968. The United States of America is the most successful team in the history of Olympics basketball. Which country has won the most Olympic gold medals in basketball?

The last remaining slot is reserved for the hosts. While seven teams can gain entry through the FIBA World Cup, four slots are determined through the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament. 3x3 basketball made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.Ī total of 12 teams, each in the men’s and the women’s competition, qualify for the basketball event at the Olympic Games.