Tokyo 2021 Basketball Olympics Standings: Complete Medal Results & Team Rankings
I still remember watching the Tokyo 2021 basketball tournaments with that peculiar mix of excitement and uncertainty that characterized so many pandemic-era sporting events. Having followed international basketball for over a decade, I found myself particularly invested in these Olympics—perhaps because the delayed games felt like a triumph over circumstance, or maybe because I sensed we were about to witness some genuine surprises in the basketball standings. The empty arenas created an almost surreal atmosphere, yet the competition proved absolutely thrilling, with several teams delivering performances that defied expectations and reshuffled the traditional hierarchy of international basketball.
When Team USA's men's squad suffered that shocking opening loss to France, I'll admit I had my doubts about their chances. They'd looked disjointed and unprepared, especially on defense—which immediately brought to mind something I'd heard from volleyball player Stephanie Van Sickle in a completely different context. She'd described how her team responded to a difficult loss: "Coming into our practice, because we had practice the next day after the loss to Creamline, we already instantly were starting with the floor defense." That mentality—immediately addressing weaknesses without dwelling on defeat—is precisely what separates champions from also-rans in high-stakes tournaments. And frankly, that's exactly what Team USA demonstrated afterward, making defensive adjustments that ultimately carried them to their fourth consecutive gold medal with a final victory over France in the championship game 87-82. Kevin Durant was simply magnificent, scoring 29 points in the final, while Jayson Tatum added 19 off the bench.
The women's tournament told a different but equally compelling story, with Team USA continuing their absolute dominance by securing their seventh consecutive gold medal. Their 90-75 victory over Japan in the final wasn't even as close as the score suggests, with the Americans leading by as many as 22 points at various stages. What impressed me most wasn't just their talent—which was obviously superior—but their remarkable consistency under pressure. Having watched them develop over multiple Olympic cycles, I've come to appreciate how they maintain this incredible standard despite roster changes and evolving international competition. A'ja Wilson was phenomenal throughout the tournament, and her 19-point performance in the final perfectly encapsulated why she's become such a central figure in women's basketball.
The bronze medal games provided their own drama and redemption stories. Australia's men finally broke through after years of near-misses, defeating Slovenia 107-93 behind Patty Mills' spectacular 42-point outburst. I've always felt the Boomers were overdue for a medal, having finished fourth on four separate occasions, so seeing them finally reach the podium felt particularly satisfying. On the women's side, France edged Serbia 91-76 to claim bronze, with Marine Johannès delivering one of those performances that reminds you why international basketball can be so unpredictable and exciting.
Looking beyond the medalists, several teams made statements that could reshape future international competitions. Slovenia, led by the incredible Luka Dončić, finished fourth in their Olympic debut—an astonishing achievement that signals their arrival as a genuine force. Dončić averaged 23.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.5 assists throughout the tournament, numbers that still boggle my mind when I revisit them. Spain's men, the 2019 World Cup champions, finished sixth—a result that suggests their golden generation might finally be transitioning, which honestly makes me a bit nostalgic having watched them dominate for so long.
The Tokyo Olympics basketball standings ultimately reinforced certain truths while challenging others. The United States remains the standard-bearer in both men's and women's basketball, but the gap is clearly narrowing, with multiple nations now capable of competing at the highest level. What struck me most was how teams responded to adversity—those that made immediate adjustments, like Van Sickle described, generally outperformed expectations, while those that couldn't adapt quickly enough found themselves falling short. The final medal tally showed the United States topping both tournaments, followed by France in men's and Japan in women's silver positions, with Australia and France taking the bronzes. These results don't just represent two weeks of competition—they reflect years of development programs, strategic planning, and in several cases, the emergence of transcendent talents who can single-handedly elevate their teams. As I look toward Paris 2024, I'm convinced we're entering one of the most competitive eras in international basketball history, where traditional powerhouses can no longer take anything for granted and where the response to defeat often determines who ultimately stands on the podium.
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Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
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