Basketball contests at the 1968 Summer Olympics was the seventh appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event. It took place at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City, Mexico from October 13 to October 25, 1968. The United States defeated Yugoslavia to win their seventh consecutive gold medal in this sport, while the Soviet Union earned the bronze against Brazil.
The Americans' record of seven basketball gold medals in a row was matched by their women's team in 2021 when they won the 2020 Olympics, and then broken in 2024.
Medal summary Gold:Silver:Bronze: Mike BarrettJohn ClawsonDon DeeCalvin FowlerSpencer HaywoodBill HosketJim KingGlynn SaultersMike SillimanKen SpainJo Jo WhiteCharlie Scott Dragutin ČermakKrešimir ĆosićVladimir CvetkovićIvo DaneuRadivoj KoraćZoran MarojevićNikola PlećašTrajko RajkovićDragoslav RažnatovićPetar SkansiDamir ŠolmanAljoša Žorga Anatoli KrikunModestas PaulauskasZurab SakandelidzeVadim KapranovYuri SelikhovAnatoli PolivodaSergei BelovPriit TomsonSergei KovalenkoGennadi VolnovJaak LipsoVladimir Andreev
Qualification Automatic qualifications were granted to the host country and the first five places at the previous tournament. Additional spots were decided by various continental tournaments held by FIBA plus two additional tournaments that granted two extra berths each.
Means of qualification Date Venue Berths Qualified Host nation 1 1964 Olympic Tournament 11–23 October 1964 Tokyo 5 1967 Pan American Games 24 July–2 August 1967 Winnipeg 2 1967 ABC Championship 23 September – 1 October 1967 Seoul 2 FIBA Africa Championship 1968 29 March–2 April 1968 Casablanca 2 European Pre-Olympic Tournament 25 May–3 June 1968 Geneva 2 Pan-Continental Pre-Olympic Tournament 26 September–2 October 1968 Monterrey 2 Total 16
Format Two groups of eight teams are formed, where the top two from each group compete for the medals in a knockout round. The remaining places are defined as follows: Fifth through eighth places are decided in a separate bracket between the third and fourth places from each group in a separate bracket. Ninth through sixteenth places are decided between the fifth through eighth places from each group in separate brackets.
Squads For the team rosters see: Basketball at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's team rosters.
Preliminary round The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals, while the remaining teams compete for 5th through 16th places in separate brackets. Both group leaders, the United States and the Soviet Union advanced undefeated to the knockout stage.
Group A
October 13
October 14
October 15
October 16
October 18
October 19
October 20
Group B
October 13
October 14
October 15
October 16
October 18
October 19
October 20
Knockout stage The much anticipated final between the United States and the Soviet Union would have to wait four years. Yugoslavia stunned the Soviets 63–62 in the semifinals. In the championship game the Americans had a slim 32-29 lead at intermission but put the game out of reach with a 22-3 streak to start the second half.
Medal bracket
Classification brackets 5th–8th Place
9th–12th Place
13th–16th Place
Awards 1968 Olympic Basketball Champions United States Seventh title
Final standings Rank Team Pld W L 9 9 0 9 7 2 9 8 1 4th 9 6 3 5th 9 7 2 6th 9 5 4 7th 9 5 4 8th 9 5 4 9th 9 5 4 10th 9 4 5 11th 9 3 6 12th 9 2 7 13th 9 3 6 14th 9 2 7 15th 9 1 8 16th 9 0 9
References
External links Official Olympic Report