Basketball Olympics 2024

Basketball made its Olympic debut as a demonstration event at the 1904 Games in St Louis before becoming an official medal sport for men in 1936 and women in 1976. Since then, the United States has dominated the sport, winning nine of the 13 gold medals in men’s competition and seven of the 12 in women’s.

The United States will look to add more gold to its collection when they compete in the men’s and women’s 5×5 and 3×3 events at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The tournament will be played under FIBA rules, which differ slightly from the NBA (FIBA has four, 10-minute quarters versus NBA’s four 12-minute periods, a closer 3-point line of 22 feet and 1 3/4 inches above the break compared to the NBA’s 21 feet and nine inches, and a full zone defense that allows the ball to be defended in areas other than within three seconds).

While the U.S. is the overwhelming favourite for both men’s and women’s titles, a close watch will be on the players on the opposing teams. The Soviet Union will be led by Alexander Belov, while Germany — the 2023 FIBA World Cup silver medallists and led by Orlando Magic’s Franz and Moritz Wagner and Brooklyn Nets’ Dennis Schroder — and Serbia (led by reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic) are also serious contenders for gold.

The 3×3 competitions are held separately from the 5-on-5 games, featuring eight teams in a round-robin pool play format before a knockout phase. The top two from each group and the best third-place team advance to the semifinals and finals, with the winners earning a gold medal.