Uruguay was the host and champion of the first major continental basketball championship, the South American Basketball Championship 1930. The event was held in Montevideo and featured four South American national basketball teams. Teams played each of the other three teams twice each; Uruguay won all six of its games. In 1932, Uruguay lost its first game of the South American Basketball Championship series when it was defeated by Chile in one of the two matches it played against the Chileans in the preliminary round. When each team finished at 3–1 (each having defeated Argentina twice), the two countries played a third match to determine the champion, which Uruguay won.
The 1934 and 1935 competitions did not end so happily for the Uruguay team, as they finished in last place each year. With the larger fields of 5 teams each year in 1937, 1938, and 1939, Uruguay fared somewhat better. They took second place in 1937 and 1939, and third in 1938.
Uruguay won their third championship in 1940, which saw the return of the series to Montevideo. There were a record six teams in competition that year; Uruguay beat each of the other five in turn to finish undefeated. 1941 resulted in a bronze medal for Uruguay. The team played in their second tie-breaker final in 1942, this time losing to Argentina to take second place in the tournament. Uruguay advanced to the final round in the first two-round tournament, in 1943, finishing in second place overall.
Uruguay has won the South American Championship 11 times, the last two in 1995 and 1997. The team ranked in the top four in all editions as of 2016.
Héctor González, Alberto Martí, Amílcar Mesa, Rodolfo Braselli, Carlos Gabin, Leandro Gómez, Gregorio Agos, Tabaré Quintans, Humberto Bernasconi, Prudencio de Pena, Alejo González Roig, Víctor Latou (Coach: Juan Collazo)
1948 Olympic Games: finished 5th among 23 teams
Martín Acosta y Lara, Nelson Demarco, Héctor García Otero, Adesio Lombardo, Héctor Ruiz, Roberto Lovera, Carlos Rosello, Miguel Diab, Eduardo Folle, Abraham Eidlin Grossman, Gustavo Magarinos, Victorio Cieslinskas, Néstor Anton, Eduardo Gordon (Coach: Raúl Canale)
1952 Olympic Games: finished 3rd among 23 teams
Martín Acosta y Lara, Héctor García Otero, Adesio Lombardo, Roberto Lovera, Sergio Matto, Wilfredo Peláez, Carlos Rossello, Victorio Cieslinskas, Héctor Costa, Nelson Demarco, Enrique Balino, Tabaré Larre Borges
1954 World Championship: finished 6th among 12 teams
Oscar Moglia, Martín Acosta y Lara, Héctor García Otero, Roberto Lovera, Nelson Demarco, Adesio Lombardo, Carlos Rosello, Omar Zubillaga, Héctor Costa, Raúl Mera, Manuel Usher Ferrer, Julio César Gully, Sergio Matto, Enrique Balino (Coach: Prudencio de Pena)
1956 Olympic Games: finished 3rd among 15 teams
Oscar Moglia, Héctor García Otero, Carlos Blixen, Nelson Demarco, Raúl Mera, Héctor Costa, Ariel Olascoaga, Milton Scaron, Sergio Matto, Nelson Chelle, Carlos Gonzáles, Ramiro Cortés (Coach: Héctor López Reboledo)
1959 World Championship: finished 9th among 13 teams
Héctor García Otero, Carlos Blixen, Milton Scaron, Washington Poyet, Ramiro Cortés, Sergio Matto, Nelson Chelle, Raúl Mera, Manuel Usher Ferrer, Álvaro Roca, Octavio Pedragosa, Adolfo Lubnicki (Coach: Olguiz Rodríguez)
1960 Olympic Games: finished 8th among 16 teams
Carlos Blixen, Washington Poyet, Milton Scaron, Héctor Costa, Raúl Mera, Nelson Chelle, Sergio Matto, Adolfo Lubnicki, Manuel Gadea, Edison Ciavattone, Waldemar Rial, Danilo Coito (Coach: Héctor López Reboledo)
1963 World Championship: finished 10th among 13 teams
Carlos Blixen, Ramiro de León, Julio Gómez, Sergio Pisano, Manuel Gadea, Álvaro Roca, Waldemar Rial, Atilio Caneiro, Edison Ciavattone, Oscar Ledesma, Francisco di Matteo, Walter Márquez (Coach: Dante Méndez)
1964 Olympic Games: finished 8th among 16 teams
Washington Poyet, Julio Gómez, Edison Ciavattone, Álvaro Roca, Manuel Gadea, Ramiro de León, Sergio Pisano, Luis García, Waldemar Rial, Jorge Maya, Walter Márquez, Luis Koster (Coach: Raúl Ballefin)
1967 World Championship: finished 7th among 13 teams
Oscar Moglia, Washington Poyet, Julio Gómez, Víctor Hernández, Omar Arrestia, Sergio Pisano, Ramiro de León, Luis García, Walter Márquez, Manuel Gadea, Daniel Borroni, Juan Ceriani (Coach: Raúl Ballefin)
1970 World Championship: finished 7th among 13 teams
Omar Arrestia, Sergio Pisano, Manuel Gadea, Víctor Hernández, Ramiro de León, Luis García, Daniel Borroni, Valentín Rodríguez, José Barizo, Daniel Vannet, Walter Lage, Roberto Bomio (Coach: Héctor Bassaiztegui)
1982 World Championship: finished 11th among 13 teams
Wilfredo Ruiz, Álvaro Tito, Walter Pagani, Víctor Frattini, Horacio Perdomo, Carlos Peinado, Gerardo Jauri, Germán Haller, Mario Viola, Luis Larrosa, Luis Pierri, Hebert Núñez (Coach: Ramón Etchamendi)
1984 Olympic Games: finished 6th among 12 teams
Wilfredo Ruiz, Horacio López, Álvaro Tito, Víctor Frattini, Walter Pagani, Juan Mignone, Horacio Perdomo, Carlos Peinado, Luis Pierri, Hebert Núñez, Luis Larrosa, Julio Pereyra (Coach: Ramón Etchamendi)
1986 World Championship: finished 18th among 24 teams
Horacio López, Ramiro Cortés, Álvaro Tito, Joe McCall, Juan Mignone, Horacio Perdomo, Gabriel Waiter, Luis Larrosa, Luis Pierri, Carlos Peinado, Hebert Núñez, Gustavo Sczygielski. (Coach: Ramón Etchamendi)
Juan Collazo: 1936
Che García: 2003
Mateo Rubio Díaz[5][6] 2014
Marcelo Signorelli: 2016–2018