# Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics was the sixteenth appearance of the sport of basketball as an official Olympic medal event. It took place at the Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena, a part of the Hellinikon Olympic Complex, in Athens, for the preliminary rounds, with the later stages being held in the Olympic Indoor Hall at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex.
Argentina, led by NBA standouts like Manu Ginóbili and Luis Scola, won the country's first and only gold medal in the event.
In Olympic basketball tournaments, 12 teams take part. The host nation (Greece in 2004) automatically receives a berth in the tournament. By winning the two World Championship tournaments in 2002, FR Yugoslavia, now named Serbia and Montenegro, also put a team into the men's tournament and the United States a team in the women's tournament.
The remaining 10 spots in each tournament were allocated by the five Olympic zones. Each of these zones held its own tournaments to select its entries in the Olympic tournament. Africa was allocated one spot in each of these, Oceania was allocated two apiece, and Europe was allocated three. Furthermore, the Americas were allocated three teams for the men's tournament and just one in the women's tournament, whereas Asia was allocated just one in the men's tournament and three in the women's tournament.
The United States team's third-place finish in the men's tournament was an embarrassment for the country that birthed the sport. The following Summer Olympics, the U.S. was represented by the Redeem Team, sporting an improved roster led by international superstars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade, under the coaching of Mike Krzyzewski, and returned the gold medal to America.

## Medalists

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Men details | Argentina (ARG) Carlos Delfino Gabriel Fernández Manu Ginóbili Leonardo Gutiérrez Walter Herrmann Alejandro Montecchia Andrés Nocioni Fabricio Oberto Juan Ignacio Sánchez Luis Scola Hugo Sconochini Rubén Wolkowyski | Italy (ITA) Roberto Chiacig Luca Garri Denis Marconato Giacomo Galanda Nikola Radulović Alex Righetti Matteo Soragna Gianluca Basile Massimo Bulleri Gianmarco Pozzecco Michele Mian Rodolfo Rombaldoni | United States (USA) Allen Iverson Stephon Marbury Dwyane Wade Carlos Boozer Carmelo Anthony LeBron James Emeka Okafor Shawn Marion Amar'e Stoudemire Tim Duncan Lamar Odom Richard Jefferson |
| Women details | United States (USA) Shannon Johnson Dawn Staley Sue Bird Sheryl Swoopes Ruth Riley Lisa Leslie Tamika Catchings Tina Thompson Diana Taurasi Yolanda Griffith Katie Smith Swin Cash | Australia (AUS) Alicia Poto Allison Tranquilli Sandy Brondello Penny Taylor Suzy Batkovic Trisha Fallon Kristi Harrower Laura Summerton Belinda Snell Natalie Porter Rachael Sporn Lauren Jackson | Russia (RUS) Olga Arteshina Oxana Rakhmatulina Natalia Vodopyanova Diana Goustilina Yelena Baranova Tatiana Shchegoleva Ilona Korstin Maria Stepanova Maria Kalmykova Elena Karpova Irina Osipova Anna Arkhipova |

## Qualification

A National Olympic Committee (NOC) may enter just one men's team with 12 players, and just one women's team with 12 players in the regional tournaments. The reigning world champions and the host country qualify automatically, as do the winners of the five continental championships, plus the runner-up and third place teams from the Americas and Europe competitions, and the runner-up Oceania in the men's tournament. For the women's tournament, the extra teams consisted of the runner-up and third place teams from Asia and Europe, and the runner-up from Oceania.

### Basketball – Men

| Africa | Americas | Asia | Europe | Oceania | Automatic qualifiers |
| Angola | United States Argentina Puerto Rico | China | Lithuania Spain Italy | Australia New Zealand | Serbia and Montenegro – World champions Greece – Olympic hosts |

### Basketball – Women

| Africa | Americas | Asia | Europe | Oceania | Automatic qualifiers |
| Nigeria | Brazil | China Japan South Korea | Russia Czech Republic Spain | Australia New Zealand | United States – World champions Greece – Olympic hosts |

## Format

* Twelve teams are split into two preliminary round groups of six teams each.
* The top four teams from both groups qualify for the knockout stage.
* Fifth-placed teams from both groups compete for 9th place in an additional match.
* Sixth-placed teams from both groups compete for 11th place in an additional match.
* In the quarterfinals, the matchups are as follows: A1 vs. B4, A2 vs. B3, A3 vs. B2 and A4 vs. B1.
** From the eliminated teams at the quarterfinals, the loser from A1 vs. B4 competes against the loser from B1 vs. A4 for 7th place in an additional match. The remaining two loser teams compete for 5th place in an additional match.
* The winning teams from the quarterfinals meet in the semifinals as follows: A1/B4 vs. A3/B2 and A2/B3 vs. A4/B1.
* The winning teams from the semifinals contest the gold medal. The losing teams contest the bronze.
Tie-breaking criteria:
* Head to head results
* Goal average (not the goal difference) between the tied teams
* Goal average of the tied teams for all teams in its group

## Teams
### Men

The men's event involved twelve teams split equally into two groups.

### Women

The women's event involved 12 teams split in two groups.

## Men's tournament
### Preliminary round

The four best teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinal round.

#### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Spain | 5 | 5 | 0 | 405 | 349 | +56 | 10 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Italy | 5 | 3 | 2 | 371 | 341 | +30 | 8 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Argentina | 5 | 3 | 2 | 414 | 396 | +18 | 8 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | China | 5 | 2 | 3 | 303 | 382 | −79 | 7 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | New Zealand | 5 | 1 | 4 | 399 | 413 | −14 | 6 | 9th place playoff |
| 6 | Serbia and Montenegro | 5 | 1 | 4 | 377 | 388 | −11 | 6 | 11th place playoff |
* 1 2 Head-to-head record: Italy 1–0 Argentina
* 1 2 Head-to-head record: New Zealand 1–0 Serbia and Montenegro
* August 15 11:15
| Italy | 71–69 | New Zealand |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 15 14:30
| China | 58–83 | Spain |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 15 16:45
| Argentina | 83–82 | Serbia and Montenegro |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena
* August 17 9:00
| New Zealand | 62–69 | China |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 17 16:45
| Serbia and Montenegro | 74–72 | Italy |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 17 20:00
| Spain | 87–76 | Argentina |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 19 9:00
| Serbia and Montenegro | 87–90 | New Zealand |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 19 11:15
| Italy | 63–71 | Spain |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena
* August 19 20:00
| Argentina | 82–57 | China |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 21 11:15
| Spain | 76–68 | Serbia and Montenegro |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 21 14:30
| New Zealand | 94–98 | Argentina |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 21 16:45
| China | 52–89 | Italy |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 23 9:00
| Spain | 88–84 | New Zealand |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 23 16:45
| Serbia and Montenegro | 66–67 | China |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 23 20:00
| Italy | 76–75 | Argentina |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens

#### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Lithuania | 5 | 5 | 0 | 468 | 414 | +54 | 10 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Greece | 5 | 3 | 2 | 389 | 343 | +46 | 8 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Puerto Rico | 5 | 3 | 2 | 410 | 411 | −1 | 8 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | United States | 5 | 3 | 2 | 418 | 389 | +29 | 8 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Australia | 5 | 1 | 4 | 383 | 411 | −28 | 6 | 9th place playoff |
| 6 | Angola | 5 | 0 | 5 | 321 | 421 | −100 | 5 | 11th place playoff |
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head record: Greece 1–1 (1.10 GAvg), Puerto Rico 1–1 (0.99), United States 1–1 (0.92)
* August 15 9:00
| Angola | 73–78 | Lithuania |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 15 20:00
| Puerto Rico | 92–73 | United States |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 15 22:15
| Greece | 76–54 | Australia |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 17 11:15
| Australia | 83–59 | Angola |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 17 14:30
| Lithuania | 98–90 | Puerto Rico |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 17 22:15
| United States | 77–71 | Greece |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 19 14:30
| United States | 89–79 | Australia |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 19 16:45
| Puerto Rico | 83–80 | Angola |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 19 22:15
| Greece | 76–98 | Lithuania |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 21 9:00
| Australia | 82–87 | Puerto Rico |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 21 20:00
| Lithuania | 94–90 | United States |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 21 22:15
| Angola | 56–88 | Greece |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 23 11:15
| Lithuania | 100–85 | Australia |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 23 14:30
| United States | 89–53 | Angola |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 23 22:15
| Greece | 78–58 | Puerto Rico |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens

### Knockout stage

| Quarterfinals (August 26) | Quarterfinals (August 26) | Quarterfinals (August 26) | Semifinals (August 27) | Semifinals (August 27) | Semifinals (August 27) | Gold-medal game (August 28) | Gold-medal game (August 28) | Gold-medal game (August 28) |
| A1 | Spain | 94 | | | | | | |
| B4 | United States | 102 | | | | | | |
| B4 | United States | 102 | B4 | United States | 81 | | | |
| | | | A3 | Argentina | 89 | | | |
| A3 | Argentina | 69 | A3 | Argentina | 89 | | | |
| B2 | Greece | 64 | | | | | | |
| B2 | Greece | 64 | | | | A3 | Argentina | 84 |
| | | | | | | A2 | Italy | 69 |
| B1 | Lithuania | 95 | | | | | | | A2 | Italy | 69 |
| A4 | China | 75 | | | |
| A4 | China | 75 | B1 | Lithuania | 91 | Bronze-medal game (August 28) | Bronze-medal game (August 28) | Bronze-medal game (August 28) |
| | | | A2 | Italy | 100 |
| A2 | Italy | 83 | A2 | Italy | 100 | B4 | United States | 104 |
| B3 | Puerto Rico | 70 | | | | B1 | Lithuania | 96 |

### Classification round

* August 24 14:30
* 11th place
| Serbia and Montenegro | 85–62 | Angola |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 24 16:45
* 9th place
| New Zealand | 80–98 | Australia |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 28 9:00
* 7th place
| China | 76–92 | Spain |
* Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens
* August 28 11:15
* 5th place
| Puerto Rico | 75–85 | Greece |
* Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens

## Women's tournament
### Preliminary round

The four best teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinal round.

#### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Australia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 418 | 313 | +105 | 10 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Russia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 389 | 333 | +56 | 9 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Brazil | 5 | 3 | 2 | 430 | 361 | +69 | 8 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Greece (H) | 5 | 2 | 3 | 353 | 392 | −39 | 7 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | Japan | 5 | 1 | 4 | 381 | 485 | −104 | 6 | |
| 6 | Nigeria | 5 | 0 | 5 | 335 | 422 | −87 | 5 | |
* August 14 9:00
| Australia | 85–73 | Nigeria |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 14 16:45
| Japan | 62–128 | Brazil |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 14 20:00
| Greece | 62–69 | Russia |
* Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens
* August 16 11:15
| Nigeria | 73–79 | Japan |
* Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens
* August 16 20:00
| Brazil | 87–75 | Greece |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 16 22:15
| Russia | 56–75 | Australia |
* Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens
* August 18 11:15
| Japan | 78–97 | Australia |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 18 16:45
| Greece | 83–68 | Nigeria |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 18 20:00
| Brazil | 67–77 | Russia |
* Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens
* August 20 9:00
| Russia | 94–71 | Japan |
* Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens
* August 20 20:00
| Australia | 77–40 | Greece |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 20 22:15
| Nigeria | 63–82 | Brazil |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 22 11:15
| Nigeria | 58–93 | Russia |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 22 14:30
| Brazil | 66–84 | Australia |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 22 16:45
| Greece | 93–91 | Japan |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens

#### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | United States | 5 | 5 | 0 | 430 | 285 | +145 | 10 | Quarterfinals |
| 2 | Spain | 5 | 4 | 1 | 368 | 334 | +34 | 9 | Quarterfinals |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 5 | 3 | 2 | 408 | 375 | +33 | 8 | Quarterfinals |
| 4 | New Zealand | 5 | 2 | 3 | 321 | 414 | −93 | 7 | Quarterfinals |
| 5 | China | 5 | 1 | 4 | 360 | 406 | −46 | 6 | |
| 6 | South Korea | 5 | 0 | 5 | 320 | 393 | −73 | 5 | |
* August 14 11:15
| South Korea | 54–71 | China |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 14 14:30
| United States | 99–47 | New Zealand |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 14 22:15
| Spain | 80–78 | Czech Republic |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 16 9:00
| New Zealand | 81–73 | South Korea |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 16 14:30
| Czech Republic | 61–80 | United States |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 16 16:45
| China | 67–75 | Spain |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 18 9:00
| China | 83–98 | Czech Republic |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 18 14:30
| South Korea | 57–80 | United States |
* Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens
* August 18 22:15
| Spain | 91–57 | New Zealand |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 20 11:15
| New Zealand | 79–77 | China |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 20 14:30
| United States | 71–58 | Spain |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 20 16:45
| Czech Republic | 97–75 | South Korea |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 22 9:00
| New Zealand | 57–74 | Czech Republic |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 22 20:00
| China | 62–100 | United States |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 22 22:15
| Spain | 64–61 | South Korea |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens

### Knockout stage

| Quarterfinals (August 25) | Quarterfinals (August 25) | Quarterfinals (August 25) | Semifinals (August 27) | Semifinals (August 27) | Semifinals (August 27) | Gold-medal game (August 28) | Gold-medal game (August 28) | Gold-medal game (August 28) |
| A1 | Australia | 94 | | | | | | |
| B4 | New Zealand | 55 | | | | | | |
| B4 | New Zealand | 55 | A1 | Australia | 88 | | | |
| | | | A3 | Brazil | 75 | | | |
| A3 | Brazil | 67 | A3 | Brazil | 75 | | | |
| B2 | Spain | 64 | | | | | | |
| B2 | Spain | 64 | | | | A1 | Australia | 63 |
| | | | | | | B1 | United States | 74 |
| B1 | United States | 102 | | | | | | | B1 | United States | 74 |
| A4 | Greece | 72 | | | |
| A4 | Greece | 72 | B1 | United States | 66 | Bronze-medal game (August 28) | Bronze-medal game (August 28) | Bronze-medal game (August 28) |
| | | | A2 | Russia | 62 |
| A2 | Russia | 70 | A2 | Russia | 62 | A3 | Brazil | 62 |
| B3 | Czech Republic | 49 | | | | A2 | Russia | 71 |

### Classification round

* August 24 9:00
* 11th place
| Nigeria | 68–64 | South Korea |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 24 11:15
* 9th place
| Japan | 63–82 | China |
* Helliniko Indoor Arena, Athens
* August 27 9:00
* 7th place
| Greece | 87–83 | New Zealand |
* Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens
* August 27 11:15
* 5th place
| Czech Republic | 79–68 | Spain |
* Olympic Indoor Hall, Athens

## Final standings

| Rank | Men | Men | Men | Men | Women | Women | Women | Women |
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | L | Team | Pld | W | L |
| | Argentina | 8 | 6 | 2 | United States | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| | Italy | 8 | 5 | 3 | Australia | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| | United States | 8 | 5 | 3 | Russia | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| 4th | Lithuania | 8 | 6 | 2 | Brazil | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| Eliminated at the quarterfinals |||||||||
| 5th | Greece | 7 | 4 | 3 | Czech Republic | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 6th | Puerto Rico | 7 | 3 | 4 | Spain | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 7th | Spain | 7 | 6 | 1 | Greece | 7 | 3 | 4 |
| 8th | China | 7 | 2 | 5 | New Zealand | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| Preliminary round 5th placers |||||||||
| 9th | Australia | 6 | 2 | 4 | China | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| 10th | New Zealand | 6 | 1 | 5 | Japan | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Preliminary round 6th placers |||||||||
| 11th | Serbia and Montenegro | 6 | 2 | 4 | Nigeria | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| 12th | Angola | 6 | 0 | 6 | South Korea | 6 | 0 | 6 |