This was the second Olympic basketball tournament, after the 1936 Olympics, but the first to be held indoors (save for the 1904 exhibition tournament), as all have been since. Only a men’s tournament was held, which was the case until 1976. The games took place at the Harringay Arena in Harringay, North London, a sporting and events venue that was built in 1936, was closed in 1958 and changed to a food storage facility in 1960. The building was demolished in 1978.
There were 23 nations that entered teams. They were separated into four groups, three with six teams, and Group D, with five. Within each group, the teams played a round-robin, advancing the top two finishers from each group to a single-elimination tournament, beginning with quarter-finals. Classification matches were conducted to allow placement of all 23 teams.
The United States won the tournament quite easily, crushing France in the final, 65-21. It was the second of seven consecutive gold medals the US men would win in Olympic basketball, from 1936-68.
USA
FRA
BRA