What is the origin of basketball at the Olympics?
It was in 1891 that James Naismith, a sports education professor from Canada, invented basketball in the United States.
Naismith was present at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin to see the first official men's basketball matches at the great mass of the sport.
Demonstrations had taken place before, the first in 1904 in St. Louis, United States.
Its emergence across the Atlantic, combined with the creation of the international federation (FIBA) in 1932, ended up opening the doors to the Olympics.
The women's event was inaugurated in 1976.
To discover
Paris 2024: the map of Olympic sites
Who are the best basketball players and countries?
The United States, nicknamed “Team USA”, is the eternal scarecrow.
For men, it's 16 victories in 20 Olympics, and 9/12 for women.
The biggest stars, like LeBron James, Steph Curry or Kevin Durant would be motivated by the idea of being in Paris this year.
But the Americans are no longer as dominant as in the past.
Some of the best basketball players in the world come from elsewhere, like Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Luka Doncic (Slovenia), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada).
France, Olympic vice-champion and boosted by Victor Wembanyama, is openly aiming for a medal.
Germany, world champion in 2023, and Australia, 3rd in 2021 in Tokyo, are outsiders.
On the women's side, Japan, China, Belgium and Australia dream of teasing Team USA.
France, 3rd at the Tokyo Olympics and quarter-finalist at the 2022 World Cup, should be added to this contingent.
Luka Doncic (right) is Slovenia's leader and one of the best basketball players in the world.
Dennis Jerome Acosta / Zuma / Panoramic
What are the rules of basketball?
Small trap for the American favorites: the FIBA rules, applied to major competitions and in Europe, differ (slightly) from those in the NBA.
In the Olympics, there are four 10-minute quarters, with a 24-second clock for each possession.
It is reset after a shot or loss of ball.
Two areas of the floor should be known.
First, the racket (also called "paint"), area near the basket.
An attacker is prohibited from staying there for more than 3 seconds, whether he has the ball or not.
Obligation to make the game more fluid. The other zone is beyond the 3-point line.
A shot behind this arc, located 6.75 m from the basket, is worth 3 pts, compared to 2 for a shot inside and one for a free throw.
Players are allowed to take two steps after stopping their dribble.
Beyond two steps, it is a “walk”.
Once a dribble has been stopped, for example by grabbing the ball with both hands, it is forbidden to dribble again.
Otherwise, it is a “re-dribble”.
A player can commit 4 fouls, and is excluded at the 5th.
If a team has committed 4 fouls in a quarter, each new foul must result in two free throws for the opponent, whether committed on a shot attempt or not.
Basketball vocabulary
Dunk:
sometimes called “smash” in France, the action of throwing the ball with force into the basket, sometimes while hanging on to it.
Alley-oop:
we speak of an alley-oop when a player successfully dunks directly on a lobbed pass from a teammate.
Victor Wembanyama is an ideal alley-oop partner for passers.
Free throw:
occurs after a foul on a shot.
The player comes to a line 4.6 m from the basket and shoots unopposed.
Rebound:
“Rebounding” means catching the ball after a missed shot.
We're talking about a defensive rebound on an opponent's shot, or an offensive rebound on a team shot.
Pivot Rudy Gobert is the Blues' flagship rebounder.
Outside/Inside:
The “outsides” are the players playing rather far from the basket, such as the leaders or guards.
The “insides” are those playing close to the racket, like the pivots.
Spacing:
spreading the game on the floor, having space to attack.
Having players who know how to shoot 3 points allows for better spacing.
Double-double/Triple-double:
Reaching 10 units in several major statistical categories.
Example: 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Pick & roll:
basic strategy where the ball carrier uses the screen placed by a teammate on his defender.
The screen setter then “rolls” towards the circle.
Key dates to remember for the Olympics
July 2-7: Men's TQO for the four remaining qualifying places
July 27: Men's group stage begins
July 28: Women's group stage begins
August 10: men’s final
August 11: women's final