# Basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics comprised two traditional five-a-side tournaments, for men and for women, and the Olympic debut of 3x3 basketball, a three-a-side half-court variant, at the Games held in Tokyo from 23 July to 8 August 2021 after a one-year postponement for the COVID-19 pandemic[1](https://about.fiba.basketball/en/news/news-fibas-executive-committee-confirms-global-calendar-update). The five-a-side tournaments ran from 25 July to 8 August 2021 at [Saitama Super Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/saitama-super-arena), with 12 teams in each field[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB). Of the four gold medals at stake in basketball as a whole, the United States won three: the men's and women's 5x5 titles and the women's 3x3 title, while Latvia took the first men's 3x3 gold[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB) • [3](https://www.axios.com/2021/07/28/us-russia-gold-womens-3x3-basketball) • [17](https://www.anocolympic.org/noc-highlights/first-ever-3x3-olympic-gold-medals-go-to-latvia-and-usa/) • [13](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympics-3x3-2020-news-latvia-and-usa-win-historic-first-3x3-olympic-gold-medals).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 5x5 dates and venue | 25 July – 8 August 2021 (men 25 July – 7 August, women 26 July – 8 August), all games at Saitama Super Arena[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB) |
| 5x5 fields | 12 teams per gender, 143 men and 142 women participating[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB) |
| 5x5 format | Three groups of 4 teams (changed from two groups of 6), eight teams advancing to single elimination; finalists played 6 games instead of 8[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB) |
| 5x5 medals | Men: United States, France, Australia; Women: United States, Japan, France[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB) |
| 3x3 debut | Added to the Olympic program on 9 June 2017; 8 men's and 8 women's teams played at Aomi Urban Sports Park[4](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympic-qualification-system-for-3x3-basketball-at-tokyo-2020-confirmed) • [5](https://www.2020games.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/eng/taikaijyunbi/taikai/kaijyou/kaijyou_31/index.html) |
| 3x3 medals | Men: Latvia, ROC, Serbia; Women: United States, ROC, China[3](https://www.axios.com/2021/07/28/us-russia-gold-womens-3x3-basketball) |
| US streaks | USA women won a seventh consecutive 5x5 gold; USA men a fourth consecutive and 16th title in 20 Olympic tournaments[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB) |
## Five-a-side tournaments
**Format change.** The last several Olympics had used two groups of 6 teams with eight advancing to a knockout stage. In Tokyo the field was split into three groups of 4 teams each, again with eight teams entering the single-elimination phase, so a finalist played 6 games instead of 8[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB). The top two in each group and the two best third-placed teams reached the quarterfinals, followed by direct elimination through the semifinals and final[6](https://as.com/juegos_olimpicos/2021/07/15/reportajes/1626309271_942130.html).
**Qualification.** After the pandemic delay, these qualifying tournaments were played in the period between 22 June and 4 July 2021[1](https://about.fiba.basketball/en/news/news-fibas-executive-committee-confirms-global-calendar-update).
**Men's tournament.** France beat the United States 83-76 in the Olympic opener for both teams, and the Americans also lost pre-Games exhibitions to Nigeria and Australia[7](https://time.com/6088368/usa-basketball-olympics-mens-gold/). After a players-only meeting, the United States recovered and beat France 87-82 in the gold medal game at Saitama Super Arena, with [Kevin Durant](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-durant) scoring 29 points on 9-of-18 shooting and [Jrue Holiday](https://www.edgepedia.org/jrue-holiday) setting a defensive tone after landing in Tokyo at 1 a.m. the morning of the first game[7](https://time.com/6088368/usa-basketball-olympics-mens-gold/). The final standings placed the United States first, France second, Australia third, and Slovenia fourth, followed by Italy, Spain, Argentina, Germany, the Czech Republic, Nigeria, Japan, and Iran[8](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympics-men-2020-news-team-usa-win-fourth-straight-gold-as-france-take-silver-and-australia-bronze-at-the-tokyo-2020-mens-olympic-basketball-tournament). It was the fourth consecutive American gold and the 16th American title in 20 Olympic men's tournaments[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB).
**Women's tournament.** The United States won its seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal, with Japan taking silver and France bronze[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB). Both American teams entered Tokyo having looked more vulnerable than usual, losing several pre-Olympic match-ups, but continued their Olympic dominance once the tournament began[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB).
## 3x3 basketball debut
**Background.** 3x3 basketball, in which two teams of three players face off on a half-court, was formalized by FIBA with unified rules in 2007 and first played in international competition at the 2010 [Youth Olympic Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/youth-olympic-games) in Singapore[9](https://www.joc.or.jp/sports/3x3_basketball/) • [4](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympic-qualification-system-for-3x3-basketball-at-tokyo-2020-confirmed). On 9 June 2017 it was added to the Olympic program starting with Tokyo 2020[4](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympic-qualification-system-for-3x3-basketball-at-tokyo-2020-confirmed). Games end when a team scores 21 points or when the 10-minute clock expires, whichever comes first; baskets are worth one or two points under a 12-second shot clock[10](https://apnews.com/article/fdc0164e89f27ec5f7c883b71fbabd68).
**Venue.** The 3x3 competition was held at the Aomi Urban Sports Park, a temporary venue in the waterfront Aomi district of Koto-ku close to the Athletes' Village, with views across [Tokyo Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/tokyo-bay) and a capacity of 7,100 for basketball; the same venue hosted sport climbing[5](https://www.2020games.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/eng/taikaijyunbi/taikai/kaijyou/kaijyou_31/index.html).
**Qualification.** FIBA and the IOC confirmed three qualification paths for the 8 men's and 8 women's teams: 4 spots per gender through the FIBA 3x3 Federation Ranking, 3 through an Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and 1 through a Universality Olympic Qualifying Tournament reserved for countries not represented in Olympic basketball in the previous two editions[4](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympic-qualification-system-for-3x3-basketball-at-tokyo-2020-confirmed). Japan, as host, received an automatic entry for its highest-ranked team per gender[4](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympic-qualification-system-for-3x3-basketball-at-tokyo-2020-confirmed). The United States men did not qualify for the 3x3 tournament[10](https://apnews.com/article/fdc0164e89f27ec5f7c883b71fbabd68).
**Competition.** On 28 July 2021, Latvia's men and the United States' women became the sport's first Olympic gold medallists, each beating teams from the [Russian Olympic Committee](https://www.edgepedia.org/russian-olympic-committee) in the finals[3](https://www.axios.com/2021/07/28/us-russia-gold-womens-3x3-basketball). The American women, playing as [Kelsey Plum](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelsey-plum), Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, and Jackie Young, won 18-15; Young was a last-minute replacement for [Katie Lou Samuelson](https://www.edgepedia.org/katie-lou-samuelson), who tested positive for COVID-19 shortly before the Games[3](https://www.axios.com/2021/07/28/us-russia-gold-womens-3x3-basketball). The United States had lost 20-18 to host Japan in pool play but still finished 6-1 in first place, then defeated France in the semifinal and the ROC in the final[11](https://www.teamusa.com/news/2021/july/28/in-the-sports-olympic-debut-usa-basketball-claims-first-ever-3x3-gold-medal-in-tokyo) • [12](https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/3x3-basketball-101-olympic-history-and-results). In the men's final, Latvia beat the ROC 21-18, with Karlis Lasmanis hitting the decisive shot; Serbia took the men's bronze by beating Belgium 21-10, and China's women beat France 16-14 for the women's bronze[3](https://www.axios.com/2021/07/28/us-russia-gold-womens-3x3-basketball) • [13](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympics-3x3-2020-news-latvia-and-usa-win-historic-first-3x3-olympic-gold-medals).
## What the results showed
The 3x3 tournament rewarded depth of specialization rather than 5x5 pedigree. Latvia won gold despite losing 3 games in the pool stage, to Belgium and then to Serbia and the ROC on the same day, while the USA women and Serbia's men each lost only one game[14](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympics-3x3-2020-news-stats-that-defined-3x3-s-spectacular-olympic-debut). Lasmanis and Plum, the two gold-medal stars, finished as the leading scorers of the men's and women's competitions[15](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympics-3x3-2020-news-gold-medal-heroes-lasmanis-and-plum-top-3x3-olympic-scoring-charts). The field's breadth was itself a stated aim of the qualification design, which used a universality path to bring basketball to countries outside the traditional powerhouses[4](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympic-qualification-system-for-3x3-basketball-at-tokyo-2020-confirmed); Mongolia appeared in the women's competition alongside rosters of WNBA players[16](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/olympics/tokyo-2020-basketball-results-latvia-usa-b1892300.html).
In the five-a-side tournaments, the American sweeps extended long-running streaks, but the men's path was the narrowest of their four-title run: a pool-play loss to France, exhibition defeats before the Games, and an 87-82 final decided in the last seconds[7](https://time.com/6088368/usa-basketball-olympics-mens-gold/). France left Tokyo with medals in both five-a-side events, silver in the men's tournament and bronze in the women's[2](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB).
## References
1. [FIBA's Executive Committee confirms global calendar update, About FIBA](https://about.fiba.basketball/en/news/news-fibas-executive-committee-confirms-global-calendar-update)
2. [Basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/editions/61/sports/BKB)
3. [U.S. defeats Russia for gold in women's 3x3 basketball, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2021/07/28/us-russia-gold-womens-3x3-basketball)
4. [Olympic qualification system for 3x3 basketball at Tokyo 2020 confirmed, FIBA](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympic-qualification-system-for-3x3-basketball-at-tokyo-2020-confirmed)
5. [Aomi Urban Sports Park, Bureau of Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games Preparation](https://www.2020games.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/eng/taikaijyunbi/taikai/kaijyou/kaijyou_31/index.html)
6. [El baloncesto en los Juegos de Tokio 2020, AS](https://as.com/juegos_olimpicos/2021/07/15/reportajes/1626309271_942130.html)
7. [This Was No Team USA Men's Basketball Dream Team. But In Tokyo, It Demands Our Respect, TIME](https://time.com/6088368/usa-basketball-olympics-mens-gold/)
8. [Team USA win fourth straight gold as France take silver and Australia bronze, FIBA](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympics-men-2020-news-team-usa-win-fourth-straight-gold-as-france-take-silver-and-australia-bronze-at-the-tokyo-2020-mens-olympic-basketball-tournament)
9. [3x3 バスケットボール, 日本オリンピック委員会（JOC）](https://www.joc.or.jp/sports/3x3_basketball/)
10. [Fredette, Barry, Maddox and Travis picked for USA Basketball 3x3 Olympic men's roster, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/fdc0164e89f27ec5f7c883b71fbabd68)
11. [In The Sport's Olympic Debut, USA Basketball Claims First-Ever 3x3 Gold Medal In Tokyo, Team USA](https://www.teamusa.com/news/2021/july/28/in-the-sports-olympic-debut-usa-basketball-claims-first-ever-3x3-gold-medal-in-tokyo)
12. [Olympic 3x3 Basketball history: Records, past winners, best moments, NBC Olympics](https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/3x3-basketball-101-olympic-history-and-results)
13. [Latvia and USA win historic first 3x3 Olympic gold medals, FIBA](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympics-3x3-2020-news-latvia-and-usa-win-historic-first-3x3-olympic-gold-medals)
14. [Stats that defined 3x3's spectacular Olympic debut, FIBA](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympics-3x3-2020-news-stats-that-defined-3x3-s-spectacular-olympic-debut)
15. [Gold medal heroes Lasmanis and Plum top 3x3 Olympic scoring charts, FIBA](https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/olympics-3x3-2020-news-gold-medal-heroes-lasmanis-and-plum-top-3x3-olympic-scoring-charts)
16. [Tokyo Olympics: 3x3 basketball announces its arrival, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/olympics/tokyo-2020-basketball-results-latvia-usa-b1892300.html)
17. [First ever 3×3 Olympic gold medals go to Latvia and USA : ANOC](https://www.anocolympic.org/noc-highlights/first-ever-3x3-olympic-gold-medals-go-to-latvia-and-usa/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › International and FIBA basketball (including 3x3 and Olympic basketball)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license