Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics — Competitive event at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games
Argentina won its first Olympic gold medal in basketball at Athens 2004, marking the sixteenth appearance of the sport at the Olympics.
Key Facts
- Olympic appearance
- 16th time basketball was an official Olympic medal event
- Men's gold medalist
- Argentina
- Teams per tournament
- 12 teams
- Preliminary venue
- Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena
- Later rounds venue
- Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens Olympic Sports Complex
- Host nation
- Greece (automatic berth)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Qualification for the 2004 Olympic basketball tournaments was determined by the 2002 World Championships, host nation status for Greece, and zone-based qualifying tournaments across Africa, Oceania, Europe, the Americas, and Asia, with berths distributed according to regional allocations.
Basketball at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics featured 12-team men's and women's tournaments held at the Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena and the Olympic Indoor Hall. Argentina's men's team, led by NBA players Manu Ginóbili and Luis Scola, competed through the preliminary and knockout stages for the top prize.
Argentina claimed its first and only Olympic gold medal in basketball, defeating rivals including the United States men's team. Serbia and Montenegro also participated as defending World Champions, reflecting the broader globalization of elite basketball beyond American dominance.
Result
at Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena / Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens