An Olympic sport since Berlin 1936,
basketball was only opened up to professionals at the Barcelona
1992 Olympic Games. Enter the US Dream Team.
Unlike baseball, basketball in the Olympics is also open to women.
Both the Men's and the Women’s basketball tournament is
played with 12 teams; the qualifiers having taken place the previous year.
At the Olympic Games, basketball is played in 4 quarters of 10
minutes; with 5 minutes of overtime to follow, if a game is tied.
A 6.25 metre arc, around the hoop, allows three points for baskets
from beyond the arc and two points from inside it.
Michael
Jordan represented the United States at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 1984, before professional basketball
players could take part, and led the US team towards gold; with his average scoring of
17.1 points per game.
When NBA professionals were allowed to play in the Olympics, at Barcelona 1992, Jordan was a part of the US Dream Team
and earned his second Olympic gold medal in the Barcelona Games.
            
       
     
FIBA:
The headquarters of the International Basketball Federation is in Geneva, Switzerland.
Federations
Basketball Australia:
In 1948, Australia became the fifty-second affiliated member of the International Amateur
Basketball Federation (FIBA) which governs amateur basketball throughout the world.
Basketball New Zealand:
Basketball was introduced into New Zealand by the YMCA, encouraged by Mormon missionaries
and popular among servicemen returning from the Pacific, after World War II.
Internationally, the Tall Black men and Tall Fern women have both attended world
championship tournaments and Olympic Games.
Canada Basketball:
The inventors of Basketball.
England Basketball:
Basketball was first played in England, at Birkenhead YMCA, in 1892.
Russian
Basketball Federation:
Available in English.
USA Basketball:
The official site of USA Basketball.
Basketball Teams
Australian
Boomers:
History of the Australian men's achievements in Olympic basketball.
Australian
Opals:
The Australian women already have a couple of medals under their belt.
World Basketball Links
Basketball
Link Directory:
Links to over 8,000 basketball related web pages.
Inside Hoops:
Olympic basketball coverage with a weighting towards the US teams.
Naismith
Museum and Hall Of Fame:
Dr. James Naismith is best known world wide as the inventor of basketball. Located at 14
Bridge Street in Almonte, Ontario, the Naismith Museum & Hall of Fame is home to the
Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.
NBA:
The home of American Basketball.
The
Game of Basketball.
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