Basketball at the Olympics: Dates, venue, history, events and Team GB prospects

Everything you need to know about Basketball at the Olympics in Paris.

A total of 19 nations are sending at least one team to compete across the four Basketball competitions at the 2024 Summer Games. A total of 328 athletes will compete for medals, including some of the biggest names in the NBA and WNBA. 

Olympic Basketball dates

When does Olympic Basketball take place in 2024?

Basketball at the Summer Olympics in Paris begins with group-stage games on Saturday 27th July. The final Gold Medal game takes place on Sunday 11th August. 

Olympic Basketball Events

The 2024 Paris games will have the same Basketball format as Tokyo 2020. The IOC introduced a 3x3 event for both men and women at the previous games and it returns this year. 

Basketball events

There are two versions of basketball which are both contested by men and women.

• 5x5
• 3x3

Olympic Basketball venues

Basketball will be played across three venues at the Paris games. The preliminary round of group matches for both men and women in the 5x5 event will be held in Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.

From the quarter-finals onwards, the 5x5 events will be played at the Accor Arena in Paris, which hosted an NBA regular-season game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers in January this year.

The men’s and women’s 3x3 tournament games will be held at Place de la Concorde, at a temporary outdoor arena in the middle of Paris. 

When was Basketball introduced to the Olympics?

Basketball first featured at the Olympics as a demonstration event at the 1904 games in St Louis. It began as a full Olympic Sport in 1936 and it has been featured at every edition since.

Basketball at the games went through a huge change in 1989 when it was ruled that NBA players were allowed to take part. That led to the 1992 Dream Team, featuring some of the greatest to ever play the game taking gold for the USA. 

The sport was expanded in 2020 with the addition of the 3x3 event.

Team GB Prospects

Team GB failed to qualify for any of the four Basketball events at the Olympics. 

Most recent British Golds

Team GB has a poor record when it comes to Olympic Basketball. The only time they’ve managed to qualify was as hosts in 2012, with the men’s team finishing ninth out of 12 sides after losing four of their five games. The women’s team finished 11th after losing all five games. 

Olympic Basketball favourites

Who are the favourites to win Basketball golds?

The USA is an unsurprising favourite in three of the four events, opening as the shortest price to win both 5x5 competitions and the women’s 3x3.

However, while the star-studded 5x5 teams for the US are heavily odds-on to take gold, the 3x3 events are far more open. 

Latvia won the inaugural men’s 3x3 event at the 2020 games but bronze medalists Serbia are the favourites to take gold this time around.

Only the USA and hosts France are entering a team across all four basketball events. 

Which NBA stars are participating in the Olympics?

The United States has put together an incredible 12-man roster following their struggles at the FIBA World Cup in 2023. LeBron James teams up with old rival Steph Curry to headline a group which also contains NBA MVP winners Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid. 

Six of the nine active MVP winners will feature in Paris, including Serbia’s Nikola Jokic who has won the award in three of the last four seasons. Two-time winner Giannis Antetokounmpo has led Greece to the tournament. 

There are 10 NBA players in Canada’s 12-man roster. Host nation France can call upon the top pick in the 2023 draft, 7ft 4in centre Victor Wembanyama. He will be joined by Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert in a towering frontcourt.

Which WNBA stars are participating in the Olympics?

Australia and Canada have strong WNBA representation in their rosters. However, it’s the USA who are bringing the big names, including the previous two MVP winners Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson.