Olympics Basketball Live Stream

From humble beginnings in North America, Basketball has grown into one of the most popular team sports in the world. It’s a truly global game: the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the USA, the world’s leading professional league, features players from more than 30 countries.

Competition dates

Saturday 28 July – Sunday 12 August
Competition venue

Olympic Park – Basketball Arena (initial group phase, women’s quarter-finals)

North Greenwich Arena (men’s quarter-finals, all semi-finals and finals)
Number of medal events

2: One men’s and one women’s competition
Number of competitors

144 men and 144 women

Twelve teams compete in both the men’s and women’s competitions, with 12 athletes (five players and seven substitutes) on each team.

Each country is limited to one men’s and one women’s team.
Field of play

The basketball court is 28m long and 15m wide. The baskets at either end are 3.05m above the ground. The court is divided into two halves, with a free-throw line 5.8m inside either end, and the three-point line a 6.75m radius from each basket.

History of Basketball at the Olympic Games

Men’s Basketball first appeared on the Olympic programme at the Berlin 1936 Games, with the women’s event introduced at Montreal 1976. Professional players first competed at the Barcelona 1992 Games, when the famous US ‘Dream Team’ won gold in the men’s event.

Find out more about Basketball at the Olympic Games on the International Olympic Committee website.

The basics

In Basketball points are scored by shooting the ball into your opponents’ net (or basket). The ball is moved up the court either by dribbling (bouncing) or passing to another team member. A player may not take more than two steps with the ball without dribbling.

Two points are awarded for a regular shot from open play, with one point for each successful free throw (following an opposition infringement) and three points for a shot from distance (beyond the three-point line).

Once in possession of the ball, a team has only 24 seconds to make an attempt on goal or they lose possession.

Games last for 40 minutes, split into four 10-minute quarters. The clock stops for every break in play and teams can call time-outs, which last one minute.

Olympics Live Stream

Watch London 2012 Live Stream