The invention of the sport of basketball is credited to Springfield College instructor James Naismith. He developed the game during the winter of 1891-1892. It took less than a decade for the sport to gain a global governing body, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), and in 1936 basketball, barely four decades old, became an Olympic sport.
Basketball was initially a demonstration sport at the 1904 Olympics in Saint Louis. The program consisted of both amateur and collegiate basketball competitions. The sport joined the official Olympic program in 1936 for the summer games in Berlin. The Olympics hosted a men's tournament consisting of 21 nations. The United States won the tournament, and an Olympic gold medal, while North America rounded out the medal table with a silver medal for Canada and Mexico, taking the bronze over Poland.
The US defended the gold in London 12 years later, following a break in Olympic competition due to World War II. The sport had evolved considerably during that time, as evidenced by the scores: America defeated Canada 19-8 in the 1936 gold medal game but outscored France 65-21 in the 1948 final. America dominated the event in the early years, winning seven consecutive gold medals, while the Soviet Union took silver four times from 1952 to 1964. Brazil and Uruguay also captured multiple medals.
The Soviet Union narrowly defeated the US men's team 51-50 in a controversial gold medal game in Munich during the 1972 Olympics. The US abstained from the 1980 games in Moscow, though the Soviet Union only managed a third-place finish, behind gold medalist Yugoslavia and runners-up, Italy. However, American men added an eighth gold medal in Montreal during the 1976 Olympics. Montreal also marked the start of the women's tournament at the Olympics; US women placed second, while the Soviet Union won gold.
Both the men's and women's US national teams won gold at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Since that time, both teams have dominated the competition, particularly the women. The men's team has won seven out of the last nine gold medals in basketball, plus bronze medal finishes in 1988 and 2004. American dominance in basketball became even more notable in 1992 when the Olympics began to allow professional athletes to compete alongside amateurs. America's roster, popularly referred to as the Dream Team, won games by an average of nearly 44 points thanks to contributions from the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Charles Barkley.
In total, the American men's basketball team has won 16 gold medals, one silver, and two bronze medals. They have medaled at every Olympic tournament they have competed, winning 143 of 149 games. While the men's team's results are no doubt impressive, the women's program has been even more successful.
The US women's national basketball team has won nine gold medals from 12 tournaments, discounting the Moscow games in 1980. They have won seven straight gold medals, dating back to a 111-87 victory over Brazil in the finals of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. With an overall record of 70 wins and three losses, the team is one of the most dominant in the history of Olympic competition.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics introduced a new discipline to the basketball program - the 3x3 competition. The men's competition was won by Latvia, while the US women's team won gold.
