Hello, Again: US and Spain to Meet in Olympic Men’s Basketball Quarterfinals

Spain’s Alberto Abalde fights for a rebound with Slovenia's Zoran Dragic (30) during a men's basketball preliminary round game at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Saitama, Japan, on Aug. 1, 2021. Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo

SAITAMA, Japan—The United States and Spain played for Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012, then in the semifinals in 2016.

And at the Tokyo Games, the top teams in the FIBA world rankings will meet again—just earlier than has been the norm.