Basketball at the 1996 Summer Olympics

Lore & Background

The 1996 Olympic basketball tournament marked the fourteenth time the sport was contested as an official medal event. Games were held at two venues: the Morehouse College Gymnasium and the Georgia Dome. The men's tournament featured twelve teams split into two preliminary groups of six, with the top four from each group advancing to a knockout stage. The format also included brackets to determine 9th–12th and 5th–8th places. Tie-breaking criteria included head-to-head results and goal average.

Reader's Guide

The 1996 Olympic basketball tournament is significant as the fourteenth edition of the sport in the Games. It featured the United States men's team winning the gold medal, with Scottie Pippen becoming the first person to win an NBA championship and Olympic gold medal in the same year twice, having previously done so in 1992. The tournament's qualification system allowed National Olympic Committees to enter one men's and one women's team of 12 players each, with automatic berths for the host country and reigning world champions, plus continental championship winners and additional places from the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The women's tournament followed a similar qualification structure, with extra teams from the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The event's legacy includes its role in continuing the Olympic tradition of basketball as a global competitive platform.

Did You Know?

• Scottie Pippen became the first person to win an NBA championship and Olympic gold medal in the same year twice, after playing for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals and for the U.S. 'Dream Team' at the 1992 Barcelona O
• The tournament was held from July 20 to August 4, 1996, at the Morehouse College Gymnasium and the Georgia Dome.
• Twelve teams were split into two preliminary round groups of six teams each, with the top four from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
• Tie-breaking criteria included head-to-head results, goal average between tied teams, and goal average of tied teams for all teams in its group.