Basketball is a popular sport played all over the world, however, it is most popular in the United States, where it was introduced for the first time. Since 1936, basketball has always been a men's sport in the Summer Olympics. It was first held as a demonstration event in 1904, before becoming a medal sport. 1976 was the flourishing year for basketball when the Summer Olympics saw the first appearance of women's basketball.
With men's teams winning 15 of the 18 events, the United States is undoubtedly the most prominent nation in Olympic basketball, with seven wins in a row from 1936 to 1968. The women's teams of the United States have won eight of the ten events, including six consecutive victories from 1996 to 2016.
Apart from the United States, Argentina is the only country to have won both the men's and women's tournaments. The Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and the Unified Team are the only countries that have won the tournament that is no longer in existence. In both the men's and women's events, the United States is the authoritative champion.
Highest Medalist Nations
Many champions come from the United States, and they have also won through some of the consecutive years. However, there are other nations that have had their victories in different years. They are as follows:
United States (USA) 28 Medals (Gold 23), Soviet Union (URS) 12 Medals (Gold 4), Yugoslavia (YUG) 8 Medals (Gold 1), Argentina (ARG) 2 Medals (Gold 1), Unified Team (EUN) 1 Medal (Gold 1), Spain (ESP) 5 Medals (Gold 0), Australia (AUS) 5 Medals (Gold 0), France (FRA) 3 Medals (Gold 0), Italy (ITA) 2 Medals (Gold 0), Brazil (BRA) 5 Medals (Gold 0).
The odds on basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics is in the menu to the left.
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