How is basketball played in the olympics

History, top teams and all you need to know

Basketball was invented in the United States of America in 1891. But it didn’t take too long for the sport to become popular. Today, it’s one of the most-watched sports in the world.

Its rise can be traced back to its roots in a gym class in Springfield, Massachusetts, making its way into high school and colleges before evolving into a professional sport it is today. Eventually, it made its way to the sport’s grandest events.

When did basketball start in the Olympics?

Basketball was introduced in the Olympic programme at the 1904 Games in St Louis as a demonstration event. Basketball was first contested as a medal event at the 1936 Olympics. Women’s basketball, meanwhile, made its debut at the Montreal 1976 Games.

3x3 basketball made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.

Who qualifies for Olympic basketball?

A total of 12 teams, each in the men’s and the women’s competition, qualify for the basketball event at the Olympic Games.

While seven teams can gain entry through the FIBA World Cup, four slots are determined through the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament. The last remaining slot is reserved for the hosts.

Which country has won the most Olympic gold medals in basketball?

The United States of America is the most successful team in the history of Olympics basketball.

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 USA women’s basketball team, meanwhile, has pocketed the gold medal on nine occasions. This includes an unbeaten run that’s still in place and dates back to Atlanta 1996.

USA dominates Olympic basketball

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.

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.

But 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.

The coming years saw the Americans grow stronger as they retained the Olympic title in commanding fashion. With no losses throughout their campaigns, their wins in the gold medal matches were most startling.

The USA basketball team beat France 65-21 in the final of the 1948 Games. The Soviet Union, meanwhile, lost to the Americans in the following four editions -- 1952, 1956, 1960 and 1964 -- with the champions recording dominating wins to retain their crown.

This period also saw the rise of the Soviet Union as a force in the international basketball scene.

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.

And 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.

USA gets a shock at Munich Olympics

Coming into the Munich Olympics, the Americans were once again favourites to retain their title. But a look at their build-up suggested otherwise.

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.

What really hurt them in this phase was the lack of international experience in the squad. 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.

Though this worked for the USA in the previous editions, this time the Soviets had found a way to exploit the American limitation by listing their players as soldiers or workers, which allowed them to breach the amateur rules.

This meant while the USA had high school sophomore Doug Collins and the North Carolina State University rookie Tommy Burleson as their best players, the Soviets rode on the brilliance of experienced stars Sergei Belov, Modestas Paulauskas and Alexander Belov.

However, it wasn’t until the gold medal game that the lack of experience came to haunt the USA.

Having come into the gold medal match without losing a game, the final was expected to be a close contest. But the Soviets had a different plan.

The USA lost to the Soviet Union in the final of the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

Picture by Getty Images

The Soviet Union basketball team controlled the proceedings with smart ball play, often using the length of the court to stretch the American defence to score points at will. The Soviets scored first and led by the healthy margin of 26-21 at the half.

“We particularly struggled against the Russians because they were adept at controlling the tempo,” Mike Bantom, a member of the ’72 team, now senior vice president for NBA player development, told the New York Times.

While the Americans mounted a comeback in the second period it wasn’t until the final six minutes that they had their opponents in trouble.

Trailing by eight points, the Americans put pressure and saw the Soviets stumble, helping them reduce the gap to just a point with six seconds left on the clock.

Down to the wire for the gold medal, Doug Collins - the pillar of his team - was not done yet as he made a fine open-court steal and drove towards the paint before being knocked down.

The foul meant the Americans were awarded two free throws to seal the match. While Collins sank them both to put his side ahead, the Soviets called for a time-out.

The game resumed with a second left, and when that went by, the United States players started celebrating. But the drama was not over yet.

Moments later, the FIBA president was seen on court asking for a redo of the final three seconds due to a refereeing error.

This time though, the Soviets ensured that they made the most of the opportunity as Alexander Belov pulled out a buzzer-beater to subject the USA to their first loss at the Olympic stage.

Though the Americans appealed against the final decision, it was turned down as the Soviet Union won their maiden basketball Olympic crown.

The Dream Team

The coming years also saw a number of countries making the most of the loopholes in the amateur player rule to field top talents at the Olympics.

However, this changed in 1992 after FIBA ruled to include professionals for the Barcelona Olympics.

This allowed the USA to select what was later dubbed as the greatest sports team ever assembled.

The team featured the likes of NBA superstars Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone among others.

The Dream Team, coached by Chuck Daly, a two-time NBA champion, had a pre-competition camp in Monaco and then moved into a luxury hotel in Barcelona, where they stayed during the Games.

The Dream Team dominated the Olympic competition, sailing through to win the gold medal. They were the first team to score 100 points in every match at the Games, something that led to their head coach commenting: “It was like Elvis and the Beatles put together. ”

However, it’s the legacy that the team left behind that had a lasting impact on the popularity that basketball enjoys today.

Following Barcelona 1992, foreign recruits have been a major draw in the NBA with Yao Ming and Andrea Bargnani being the number one draft picks in (2002) and (2006) respectively. Meanwhile, Dirk Nowitzki and Giannis Antetokounmpo have won the NBA MVP award since.

Olympic basketball winners: Men's

Women’s basketball at the Olympics

While the men’s game has enjoyed a storied history under the Olympic banner, women’s basketball has a similarly rich vein of tales to tap into.

The USA is the most successful team in women's Olympic basketball with eight titles.

Making its debut at the 1976 Games in Montreal, women’s basketball has been a constant presence at the Olympics ever since.

The Soviet Union was the first to claim the Olympic title in the women’s category by beating the United States in the final at the 1976 Games. While the Soviets retained their crown at their home Games in 1980, the Americans took the gold medals in the following two Games.

In 1992, a Unified Team consisting of the former Soviet Republics beat China for the title.

The Americans, however, returned to regain their crown at Atlanta 1996 and have won the title at every edition since.

Olympic basketball winners: Women's

Basketball at the Olympics | Rules, which NBA players will feature

Basketball is characterised by frenetic end-to-end action as the five-person teams switch from offence to defence and back again.

If you've ever wondered why basketball looks so frantic, it's simply because it's designed that way, to thrill with end-to-end pace.

While some sports don't feature mainstream stars, basketball is truly an exception with a strong clutch of NBA players ready to shine on the global stage.

The US team is the favourite to seize the crown once again – but can anyone stop them?

RadioTimes.com brings you up to speed with everything you need to know about basketball at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in the summer of 2021.

• Viewers who are looking to watch each and every sport from the Tokyo Olympics 2020, you can tune in for full coverage via online streaming platform discovery+

Basketball runs between Sunday 25th July until Sunday 8th August.

Medal finals will take place on the last two days of the competitions.

3x3 Basketball goes from Saturday 24th July until Wednesday 28th July.

Check out our guide on how to watch Olympics 2020 or see Olympics on TV today for more details, timings, and exclusive expert analysis from some of the biggest names in world sport over the coming weeks.

Sir Chris Hoy, Beth Tweddle, Rebecca Adlington, Matthew Pinsent and Dame Jess Ennis-Hill are among the stars we have to being their esteemed opinions, so don't miss what they have to say.

Olympic basketball rules

Teams are under constant time pressure from the rules, which demand that teams take a shot within 24 seconds of taking possession of the ball, can't remain in the goal area for more than three seconds, and have to advance the ball beyond the halfway line within ten seconds of receiving it.

Points are scored by putting the ball through the hoop, either by throwing or via the famous dunk (see 'Michael Jordan' for more).

Three points are awarded for a successful shot from outside the three point line, which is an arc of 6. 25 metres from the centre of the basket.

Two points are awarded for a successful shot from inside the line, and one for scoring from a free throw, the basketball equivalent of a penalty kick.

The teams compete on a 28m x 15m court over the course of four 10-minute periods.

A new 3x3 format has also been introduced for the Tokyo Olympics, meaning that there will be four separate tournaments – two in each discipline for the men's and women's teams.

The main tournaments will be contested by 12 teams split into four groups of three for an initial round-robin stage.

The top two teams in each group, and the two best third-placed teams will be seeded into a traditional knockout system.

Does Team GB have an Olympic basketball team?

Sadly, Team GB didn't qualify in any of the four basketball events. The men's event will be contested by teams from the United States, Spain, Australia, Argentina, Italy, France, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Germany, Nigeria, Iran and Japan.

The United States are usually the team to beat, having won gold at the last three Olympics.

Despite a surprise loss to Nigeria in their last exhibition match, they remain the hot favourites, although the Australian team is packed with NBA professionals and should mount a strong challenge, as will Spain, the current basketball world cup gold medal holders.

The US women's team has an even more enviable record than the men, having won six consecutive gold medals. Competition for their seventh will come from Canada, France, Australia, Spain, Belgium, Serbia, China, Japan, Nigeria, South Korea and Puerto Rico.

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Which NBA players will play at the Olympics?

The US team is jam-packed with superstars. The list includes: Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Damian Lillard and Kevin Love among others.

The US is a traditional powerhouse of Olympic basketball and is considered favourite to claim the men's crown once more.

It's not just American NBA players involved at the Olympics. Numerous other stars will feature for their homelands including Luka Doncic with Slovenia.

What is 3x3 basketball?

The inclusion of 3x3 (pronounced three-ex-three) has been championed by the sports governing body, FIBA.

The game is played on half a court, with only one net, by teams of three players. It has its origins in casual games on public courts, where teams are small and changeable and space for multiple games is at a premium. This type of play is so commonplace that an IOC study suggested that it's the largest urban team sport in the world.

Because the sport takes place on half a traditional five-a-side court there are some incongruities, most notably the fact that the three point line is still used, despite the fact that shots from outside it are only worth two points.

The pace of play is even more hectic than traditional basketball, with no breaks in play after a point is scored, and only 12 seconds allowed between taking possession and taking a shot.

Unlike traditional basketball, the US isn't the hot favourite for the 3x3. Serbia embraced the sport, building teams separately from its five-a-side squads and becoming the hot favourites for Olympic gold.

Read more – check out our comprehensive guides to the Olympic sports: Archery | Cycling | Field Hockey | Gymnastics | Rowing | Skateboarding | Taekwondo | Water Polo

Radio Times Olympics Special issue is on sale now.

If you’re looking for something else to watch check out our TV Guide or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news.

2020 | Basketball: Everything You Need to Know About the

Basketball is one of the few team sports whose history has preserved both the name of the inventor and the exact date of birth. The game, the meaning of which is to throw the ball into baskets suspended on special structures, was invented in 1892 by a Canadian school teacher James Naismith .

Basketball entered the official program of the Olympic Games in 1936 in Berlin, although it was still present at the Games as a demonstration discipline04 years. The first Olympic women's basketball tournament was held in 1976 in Montreal.

Schedule and dates

25 July - 8 August. Full schedule here.

The basketball tournament is traditionally one of the longest at the Olympics. It will begin the day after the opening ceremony, with the final match of the women's tournament taking place in Tokyo on the closing day of the Games.

Medal sets: 2

Competitions: men's and women's basketball tournament

Arena

The Olympic men's and women's basketball tournaments will be held at the Saitama Super Arena, located in the suburbs of Tokyo, with a capacity of 21,000 spectators. One of the most modern sports arenas in Japan has already hosted many of the largest sports events - in particular, the world championships in basketball and figure skating.

Rules and structure of the tournament

Basketball is played by two teams, each of which can have five players on the court at the same time. The goal of the game is to throw the ball into the opponent's ring, which is at a height of 305 centimeters. Accurate throws have different values: one point is awarded to a team for hitting without resistance from the free throw line after an opponent foul, two points for hitting a field goal, three points for hitting a field goal from a long distance (from behind an arc located at a distance 675 centimeters from the ring). The size of the court in this sport is 28 by 15 meters. A basketball match consists of 4 periods of 10 minutes. In case of a draw in regular time, an additional period of 5 minutes is assigned to determine the winner.

The Tokyo Olympics for men and women will each have 12 teams, and the formula for the men's and women's tournaments is the same. At the preliminary stage, the teams are divided into three groups of four teams, and according to the results of round-robin tournaments in groups of two best teams and two more best third-placed teams advance to the playoffs. Quarter-final pairs and the entire playoff bracket will be based on the ranking of teams based on the results of group tournaments.

The success of the Russians and who to follow in Tokyo

In the entire history, the Russian team was able to win Olympic medals only once - it happened in 2012 in London, when the Russian team became the third. But the basketball players of the USSR national team under the guidance of legendary coaches won the gold of the Olympics twice: in 1972 in Munich, the team Vladimir Kondrashin won the legendary final against the US team with the famous decisive hit Alexander Belov in the last second of the game, and in 1988 in Seoul the gold medals were won by the USSR national team, led by Alexander Gomelsky . In addition, the Soviet team won silver medals at the Olympics four times and bronze three times.

In the women's tournament, the basketball players of the Russian national team twice climbed the Olympic podium, in 2004 and in 2008 winning bronze medals. Their predecessors, as well as in men's competitions, have more significant achievements, and they have three victories at the Olympics. In 1976 in Montreal and in 1980 in Moscow, the USSR team won the first two women's Olympic tournaments in history, and in 19In 1992, in Barcelona, ​​the team that competed at those Games under the name "CIS United Team" won gold. Also in the asset of the women's team of the USSR, the bronze of the Olympics in Seoul in 1988.

There will be no ROC basketball teams at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo: neither men nor women could qualify for the main start of the four-year period.

Traditionally, at the Olympic Games of the last decades, the performance of the US team is of particular interest. Since 1992, when the best players in the world from the National Basketball Association were allowed to play in the Olympic competitions, the American Dream Team (“dream team”) has only once been left without Olympic gold - in 2004, the Argentine team won a sensational victory in Athens. The US team will also be a clear favorite of the Olympics at the Tokyo Games, where the next version of the Dream Team will perform, led by forward Kevin Durant .

In the women's Olympic basketball tournament, the historical list of teams that have become Olympic champions is quite short. In addition to the already mentioned victories of the basketball players of the USSR and the Joint Team of the CIS, only one team won the gold of the Games - the US team. She has won eight Olympics, including all five previous Olympic tournaments. The chances of the US women's team to win another victory in Tokyo are very high, and only the Australians and four European teams selected for the Games - France, Spain, Belgium and Serbia - can compete with them in Tokyo.

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Basketball - OLYMPS.RU

Basketball (English basket - basket, ball - ball) - a sports team game with a ball. Basketball is played by two teams, each consisting of five players. The goal of each team is to throw the ball with their hands into the opponent's net ring (basket) and prevent the other team from taking possession of the ball and throwing it into their own basket. The basket is located at a height of 3.05 meters from the floor (10 feet). There are 5 people from each team on the court, in total there are 12 people in the team, substitutions are not limited. For a ball thrown from near and medium distances, 2 points are counted, from far (because of the three-point line) - 3 points. A free throw is worth one point. The standard size of a basketball court is 28 meters long and 15 meters wide. Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world.

Basketball has been part of the Olympic Games program since 1936. The inventor of the game, James Naismith, was there as a guest. The regular World Basketball Championships for men have been held since 1950, for women since 1953, and the European Championships since 1935.

Europe hosts international club competitions ULEB Euroleague, ULEB European Cup, Challenge Cup.

The game has reached its greatest development in the USA: the championship of the National Basketball Association (NBA) has been the strongest national club tournament in the world for more than 50 years.

History of Basketball

In the winter of 1891, students at the Youth Christian Association College in Springfield, Massachusetts, forced to perform endless gymnastic exercises, considered at that time almost the only means of introducing young people to sports, were very bored in physical education classes. It was necessary to put an end to the monotony of such activities, to introduce a fresh stream into them, which would be able to satisfy the competitive needs of strong and healthy young people.

A humble college teacher named James Naismith found a way out of what seemed to be an impasse. On December 1, 1891, he tied two peach baskets to the railing of the balcony of the sports hall and, dividing eighteen students into two teams, offered them a game, the meaning of which was to throw more balls into the opponents' basket.

The idea of ​​this game originated in his school years, when children played the old game "duck-on-a-rock" ("Duck on a stone"). The meaning of this game, popular at that time, was as follows: throwing a small stone, it was necessary to hit the top of another stone, larger in size, with it.

Quite pragmatically called "basketball" game only remotely resembled modern basketball. There was no dribbling, the players only threw it to each other, standing still, and then tried to throw it into the basket, and only with both hands from below or from the chest, and after a successful throw, one of the players climbed onto a ladder attached to the wall and removed the ball from the basket . From a modern point of view, the actions of the teams would seem to us sluggish and inhibited, but the goal of Dr. Naismith was to create a team game in which a large number of participants could be involved at the same time, and his invention fully met this task.

Rules of Basketball

Initially, the rules of the game of basketball were formulated by the American James Naismith and consisted of only 13 points. Basketball has changed over time, and so have the rules. The first international rules of the game were adopted in 1932 at the first FIBA ​​Congress, after which they were repeatedly adjusted and changed, the last significant changes were made in 1998 and 2004. Since 2004, the rules of the game have remained unchanged. The rules of the game are somewhat different in the NBA and championships held under the auspices of FIBA ​​(World Championships, Olympic Games, Continental Championships, international and national championships of European clubs).

Basketball is played by two teams, usually twelve people, each with five players on the court at a time. The goal of each team in basketball is to get the ball into the opponent's basket and prevent the other team from getting the ball and putting it into their team's basket.
The ball is played only with the hands. Running with the ball without hitting it on the floor, intentionally kicking it, blocking it with any part of the leg, or punching it is a foul. Accidental contact or touching of the ball with the foot or leg is not a violation.

The winner in basketball is the team that has scored the most points at the end of playing time. In case of a tie at the end of the main time of the match, overtime is assigned (usually five minutes of extra time), if the score is even at the end of it, a second, third overtime is assigned, etc., until the winner is revealed match.

A different number of points can be scored for one hit of the ball in the ring:

1 point - throw from the penalty line
2 points - shot from medium or close range (closer than the three-point line)
3 points - shot from behind the three-point line at a distance of 6m 75cm (7m 24cm in the National Basketball Association)

The game officially begins with a jump ball in the center circle when the ball is batted correctly by one of the contestants. The match consists of four periods of ten minutes (twelve minutes in the National Basketball Association) with breaks of two minutes. The duration of the break between the second and third quarters of the game is fifteen minutes. After a long break, the teams must exchange baskets.

The game can be played in an open area and in a hall with a height of at least 7 m. The size of the field is 28 × 15 m. The backboard is 180 × 105 cm in size. From the bottom edge of the backboard to the floor or ground should be 290 cm. The basket is a metal ring covered with mesh without a bottom. It is mounted at a distance of 0.15 m from the lower edge of the shield. The ball circumference established by FIBA ​​standards for men's competitions is 74.9-78 cm, weight - 567-650 g (for women, respectively, 72.4-73.7 cm and 510-567 g).

Violations

• out - the ball goes out of the playing area;
• Run - A player in control of a live ball moves his feet beyond the limits set by the rules
• violation of dribbling, including carrying the ball, double dribbling;
• 3 seconds - an attacking player is in the free throw zone for more than three seconds while his team is in possession of the ball in the attacking zone;
• 5 seconds - the player, when taking a throw-in, does not part with the ball for five seconds;
• 8 seconds - the team in possession of the ball from the defense zone did not bring it into the attack zone in eight seconds;
• 24 seconds - the team had possession of the ball for more than 24 seconds and did not make an accurate shot at the ring.

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