23 nations entered the competition, making basketball the largest tournament of the team sports, but Hungary and Spain withdrew, meaning 21 competed.

Lawn and dirt tennis courts were used for the competition, but this caused problems when the weather was adverse, especially during the final of the tournament.

Byes: United States and Peru Winners of the quarterfinals advanced to the medals round, with losers playing in classification matches.

The final was played in driving rain, turning the court into a quagmire such that it was impossible to dribble, while the conditions kept scoring to a minimum: highest scorer in the game was Joe Fortenberry of the United States, with eight points.

A total of 199(*) basketball players from 21 nations competed at the Berlin Games: Hungary and Spain withdrew before playing a match.