Tokyo 2020 by numbers: stats and facts from the Olympic Basketball Tournaments

TOKYO (Japan) - The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games feature more than 11,000 athletes competing across 41 different sports. 

Each of the Olympians at the Tokyo Games add to the event's long history, one that has featured basketball on its programme since since Berlin 1936 for the men's tournament, added the women's in Munich 1972 and has now  brought the game's 3x3 street ball culture to the event here in the Japanese capital.

Showing the global popularity of the game and 3x3's introduction to the Olympic programme, Tokyo features a record number of basketball players hitting the court and chilling in the Athletes' Village.

Here’s some notable numbers - and the story behind the statistic from basketball at this marquee event.

2004 — Argentina won men's basketball gold at the Athens Games to become the last country other than the United States to win either the men’s or women’s Olympic tournament.

1936 — So important we mention here again. Basketball made its Olympic debut with the men’s tournament in 1936 during the Berlin Games. The women's tournament joined the Olympic programme at the Montreal 1976 Olympics.

1093 — There’s a reason Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt is in the FIBA Hall of Fame. The 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) shooting guard / small forward is basketball’s leading scorer at the Olympic Games. The ageless Luis Scola just moved into 4th on the Olympic all-time scorers list with his 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting in Argentina’s opening loss to Slovenia here in Tokyo. 

 

416 — With 3x3 joining the Olympics, the basketball player ranks has hit an all-time high in Tokyo. 288 players comprise the 12 men's and 12 women's teams in the traditional game. The 3x3 game opened up another 128 players to the Olympic experience as 4 players are on each of the 8 men's and 8 women's 3x3 teams.

156 — The United States’ men's team set an Olympic record for points scored in a single game during their 156-73 victory against Nigeria at the London 2012 Olympics.

The play from Carmelo and Co of Team USA proved too much for Nigeria at the London 2012 Games

77 — Percent, that is. The USA have won 23 of the 30 gold medals in men's and women's basketball combined. The gold medal percentage of 77 percent in this sport by the USA is topped only by China in table tennis (28 out of 32, 88 percent), among current sports.

55 — Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt tops this list, too, by dropping 55 points on Spain at the Seoul 1988 Olympics. Luka Doncic looks like a potential threat to this record, having scored 48 points in his Olympic debut against Argentina this Monday in Tokyo. Doncic’s effort leaves him tied for the second-highest Olympics points scoring effort. Oh, and the coach pulled him from the game with 4 minutes on the game clock with Slovenia’s win well in hand. Doncic's international exploits and style of play has won him some pretty heady praise. 

 

49 — The United States’ women's team are on a 49-game winning streak at the Olympic Games since losing to Unified Team during the Barcelona 1992 Semi-Finals. The all-time best Olympics basketball winning streak rests with the USA men's team as they 63 games in a row from 1936 to 1972 until they lost the gold medal match-up against the Soviet Union at the Munich 1972 Olympics.

39 — Evladia Slavcheva of Bulgaria scored an Olympic record of 39 points in a women's game to lead her team to a 98-87 win over Korea at the Seoul 1988 Games. In FIBA’s very unofficial fan vote, our loyal readers tabbed Australia’s Bec Allen as the most likely player at Tokyo 2020 to challenge Slacheva’s record. 

37 — At Rio 2016, USA’s Tamika Catchings became basketball's oldest Olympic gold medal winner at the age of 37 years and 30 days.

17 — When Spain guard Ricky Rubio helped lead his team to the silver at the Beijing 2008 Olympics at 17 years and 308 days of age, he became the youngest Olympic medalist in men’s basketball history. The youngster wasn’t just a benchwarmer, either. He played a pivotal role filling in for injured starter and floor leader, Jose Calderon. Playing 28 minutes in the final, Rubio finished with six points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and just two turnovers.

14 – Luka Doncic in international basketball. Since Luka joined the senior national team, the Slovenes are on a 14-0 run, one that includes Slovenia winning the FIBA EuroBasket 2017, the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2020 and now their first Olympic game. 

 

6 — USA women have tasted gold by topping the podium at the last six Olympic Games. In all of Olympic team sports, only one team has ever produced a longer streak: the USA won seven straight gold medals - from 1936 to 1968 - in men's basketball.

5 — USA’s Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi could become the first athletes to win five gold medals in basketball. Our pundit Paul Nilsen picked them to do just that in both Volume 1 and Volume 2 of his Power Rankings leading into these Games. RUNNER-UP: Australia has won five medals - 3 silver, 2 bronze - in women's basketball but has yet to win gold. Could either the USA or the Opals make history in Tokyo?  

4 — With Spain coming in as the reigning FIBA Basketball World Cup champs, their talisman tallman Pau Gasol could win a record-equalling fourth medal in men’s basketball. If Gasol completes the feat, he’d join USA’s Carmelo Anthony, and Gennadi Volnov and Sergei Belov of the former Soviet Union.   

3 — Kevin Durant could join fellow American Carmelo with a record three Olympic gold medals, if USA win the Tokyo 2020 men's tournament. The Americans didn’t get off to the best of starts, though, dropping their opening game, 83-76, to France before bouncing back against Iran, winning 120-66. 

2 — This is the second time that Tokyo has hosted the summer edition of the Olympics. Back in 1964, the USA topped the Soviet Union to win the men’s tournament, with Brazil earning the bronze over Puerto Rico. 

One from the archives: An Olympic basketball Final tip-off between USA and Soviet Union

1 — Olympic Debutants. Apologies to the one Olympic basketball final decided by a single point - when Soviet Union’s 51-50 victory over the USA at Munich 1972 ended the American’s 63-game unbeaten streak at the Olympic Games - Tokyo 2020 is about the countries making it into the Olympic tournaments for the first time. 

By winning their Olympic Qualifying Tournaments earlier this year, the Czech Republic and Slovenia men’s team made history by making their country’s Olympic basketball debut. It’s gotten off to a strong start, too, as both the Czechs and Slovenes also picked up their first Olympic victory on gameday one .

 

While Puerto Rico and Belgium played in the Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament before, Tokyo is the first time these countries are competing in the women’s event.

 

And then there's 3x3 - the world's most popular urban team sport. By making its Olympic debut, the discipline is just starting to write its history at this marquee event.  

FIBA