Basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics

The 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, hosted the twelfth official Olympic basketball tournament, held at the Jamsil Gymnasium from 17 to 30 September. In the women's competition, the United States successfully defended their 1984 title by winning the gold medal. The men's tournament saw the Soviet Union claim its second gold medal in the event's history. A notable feature of the Soviet men's team was its heavy reliance on players from the Baltic states, including Lithuanians Sabonis, Chomičius, Kurtinaitis, and Marčiulionis, Latvian Miglinieks, and Estonian Tiit Sokk. This was the final Olympic basketball tournament before the 1989 FIBA rule change that lifted the ban on NBA player participation, which paved the way for the dominant 1992 Dream Team.

Each National Olympic Committee could enter one men's and one women's team of 12 players. Automatic qualification was granted to the host nation and the previous edition's winners. For the men's tournament, remaining spots were filled through continental championships: champions from Asia and Oceania, the top two from Africa, and the top three from the Americas earned direct berths. The final three spots came from a European qualifying tournament held in the Netherlands two months before the Games. For the women's tournament, qualification was decided by a tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where the top six teams earned places.

The men's tournament format featured two groups of six teams. The top four from each group advanced to the knockout stage, while the fifth and sixth places competed in a separate bracket for 9th–12th positions. Quarterfinal matchups paired A1 vs. B4, A2 vs. B3, A3 vs. B2, and A4 vs. B1. Quarterfinal losers entered a bracket for 5th–8th places. Semifinals paired the winners of A1/B4 vs. A3/B2 and A2/B3 vs. A4/B1, with winners playing for gold and losers for bronze. The women's tournament had two groups of four teams. The top two from each group advanced to the semifinals (A1 vs. B2, A2 vs. B1), while the third and fourth places competed for 5th–8th positions. Tie-breaking criteria were head-to-head results, then goal average between tied teams, then goal average against all teams in the group.

In the men's preliminary round, the top four from each group advanced to the knockout stage. Hosts South Korea, China, Egypt, and the Central African Republic failed to advance, finis