The men's tournament in basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul began on 17 September and ended on 30 September. The Soviet Union won their second gold medal, defeating Yugoslavia 76–63 in the gold medal match. This was the last Olympic basketball tournament where NBA players were not allowed to participate; FIBA instituted a rule change in 1989 that lifted that restriction, leading to the dominance of 1992's Dream Team. Competition schedule Qualification A NOC could enter one men's team with 12 players. Automatic qualifications were granted to the host country and the winners from the previous edition. The remaining teams were decided by the continental championships in Asia, Oceania, Africa and Americas and European qualifying tournament. Champions of Asia and Oceania, top two teams from Africa and top three from Americas earned direct qualification. Last three berths are allocated from European qualifying tournament, held in Netherlands. Squads Each NOC was limited to one team per tournament. Each team had a roster of twelve players. Group stage Group A Group B Knockout stage Championship bracket Quarterfinals Semifinals Bronze medal game Gold medal game Classification round 5th–8th Place 9th–12th Place Classification 5–8 semifinals Classification 7–8 Classification 5–6 Classification 9–12 semifinals Classification 11–12 Classification 9–10 Awards Final ranking Rankings are determined by classification games: References Official Olympic Report USA Basketball 1988 Olympic Games: Tournament for Men, FIBA Archive Basketball at the 1988 Summer Olympics Basketball at the Summer Olympics – Men's tournament