1936 was the year of the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics, and the first year Men's basketball became a recognized Olympic Games sport.

In the finals, played August 14, the United States defeated Canada 19-8, under abysmal conditions. The contest was played outdoors, on a dirt court in a driving rain. Due to the quagmire, the teams could not dribble and the score was held to a minimum. High scorer in the game was Joe Fortenbury for the U.S. with 7 points. Also, there were no seats for spectators and the nearly 1,000 in attendance had to stand in the rain through the entire game.

The Medals, awarded by James Naismith, founder of basketball, all went to North American nations;

GOLD, the victorious and undefeated Americans,

SILVER, to the vanquished Canadians,

BRONZE, to Mexico, who defeated Poland in the Bronze Medal Game.

See also: 1936 Summer Olympics