Britannica
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When did basketball become an official Olympic sport?
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History of basketball
Basketball inventor James Naismith holding a ball and a peach basket, the first basketball equipment.
Men's basketball became an official Olympic sport in 1936 at the Berlin Games. Women's basketball was added to the Olympic schedule in 1976 at the Montreal Games. The sport was played by amateurs until the 1992 Barcelona Games, which were the first Olympics to allow NBA players to participate.12