Olympic Basketball Age Limit ‘Unlikely’ for 2016 Games


NBA Commissioner David Stern has been open about his interest in working with FIBA to establish an age ceiling in Olympic basketball, wishing to limit participation by implementing a 23-and-under rule. Well, even if those desires some day come to fruition, they probably won’t be in place for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. More details, via SI.com: “The NBA’s interest in pursuing an age ceiling for Olympic basketball is ‘unlikely’ to be instituted in time for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, according to the source, who has direct knowledge of the talks involving the International Olympic Committee and FIBA, the international ruling body for basketball. NBA commissioner David Stern has publicly floated the idea of establishing a maximum age for men’s basketball players of all countries at future Olympics that would mirror the rules of soccer, which requires that players in the Olympic tournament be no older than 23, with three exceptions (for players of any age) allowed per roster. The new plan for basketball would enable NBA owners to participate in and eventually profit from the rebranded FIBA World Cup, which—similar to the soccer World Cup—would have no limits on age, making it the preeminent international basketball event every four years.”