1998 FIBA World Championship

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1998 FIBA World Championship

13th FIBA World Championship
Official logo of the 1998 FIBA World Championship
Tournament details
Host country	Greece
Dates	July 29 – August 9
Teams	16
Venue(s)	2 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions	Yugoslavia (1st title)
Tournament statistics
MVP	Dejan Bodiroga
Top scorer	Alberto Herreros (17.88)
Top rebounds	José Ortiz (10.5)
Top assists	Shane Heal (4.5)
PPG (Team)	United States (82.10)
RPG (Team)	Nigeria (37.4)
APG (Team)	Argentina (13.10)
Official website
1998 FIBA World Championship

The 1998 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Athens, Greece. Because of the National Basketball Association lockout and unlike the previous championship, the USA Basketball Association was unable to send a team comprised from NBA players, thus causing the American national team roster to be comprised out of professional basketball players playing in Europe and three college players.

Venues

City	Arena	Capacity
Athens	Athens Olympic Indoor Hall	18,700
Pireaus	Peace and Friendship Stadium	14,095

Competing nations

The following nations teams competed:

Group A

Canada
Greece
Italy
Senegal

Group B

Japan
Puerto Rico
Russia
Yugoslavia

Group C

Brazil
South Korea
Lithuania
United States

Group D

Argentina
Australia
Nigeria
Spain

Preliminary rounds

Competing teams

The top three teams in each group advance to the second preliminary rounds, into either Group E or F. The fourth place team in each group moves onto the Thirteenth-to-sixteenth playoffs.

Group A

Rank	Team	Pts.	W	L	PF	PA	Diff
1	Greece	6	3	0	220	185	+35
2	Italy	5	2	1	211	214	−3
3	Canada	4	1	2	211	203	+8
4	Senegal	3	0	3	180	203	−23

29 July 1998
Senegal	66-76	Italy
Greece	78-72	Canada
30 July 1998
Canada	70-57	Senegal
Italy	56-74	Greece
31 July 1998
Canada	69-79	Italy
Greece	68-57	Senegal

Group Β

Rank	Team	Pts.	W	L	PF	PA	Diff
1	Yugoslavia	6	3	0	261	194	+67
2	Russia	5	2	1	243	213	+30
3	Puerto Rico	4	1	2	217	223	−6
4	Japan	3	0	3	169	260	−91

July 1998
Japan	58-83	Russia
FR Yugoslavia	80-66	Puerto Rico
July 1998
Puerto Rico	78-57	Japan
Russia	74-82	FR Yugoslavia
July 1998
Japan	54-99	FR Yugoslavia
Russia	86-73	Puerto Rico

Group C

Rank	Team	Pts.	W	L	PF	PA	Diff
1	Lithuania	6	3	0	247	200	+47
2	United States	5	2	1	253	205	+48
3	Brazil	4	1	2	197	222	−25
4	South Korea	3	0	3	191	261	−70

July 1998
South Korea	56-97	Lithuania
United States	83-59	Brazil
July 1998
Brazil	76-73	South Korea
Lithuania	84-82	United States
July 1998
Brazil	62-66	Lithuania
South Korea	62-88	United States

Group D

Rank	Team	Pts.	W	L	PF	PA	Diff
1	Spain	6	3	0	225	211	+14
2	Argentina	5	2	1	201	181	+20
3	Australia	4	1	2	208	207	+1
4	Nigeria	3	0	3	183	218	−35

July 1998
Nigeria	68-80	Spain
Australia	62-66	Argentina
July 1998
Argentina	68-51	Nigeria
Spain	77-76	Australia
July 1998
Nigeria	64-70	Australia
Spain	68-67	Argentina

Second Preliminary rounds

First three teams in each group of the first group phase qualify to the second phase, creating two new groups of six teams. The final standings also take in account the results of previous round matches.

Group Ε

Rank	Team	Pts.	W	L	PF	PA	Diff
1	Yugoslavia	11	5	1	486	366	+120
2	Russia	11	5	1	455	388	+67
3	Greece	10	4	2	395	379	+16
4	Italy	10	4	2	395	408	−13
5	Puerto Rico	8	2	4	438	443	−5
6	Canada	4	1	5	419	473	−54

2 August 1998
FR Yugoslavia	95-55	Canada
Russia	71-55	Italy
Puerto Rico	64-71	Greece
3 August 1998
Canada	81-94	Puerto Rico
Italy	61-60	FR Yugoslavia
Russia	60-48	Greece
August 4 1998
Russia	81-72	Canada
Puerto Rico	63-68	Italy
FR Yugoslavia	70-56	Greece

Group F

Rank	Team	Pts.	W	L	PF	PA	Diff
1	United States	11	5	1	511	430	+81
2	Spain	11	5	1	431	424	+7
3	Lithuania	10	4	2	472	432	+40
4	Argentina	9	3	3	423	405	+18
5	Australia	8	2	4	432	439	−7
6	Brazil	7	1	5	399	456	−57

1998
Australia	71-61	Lithuania
Argentina	74-87	United States
Spain	73-63	Brazil
1998
Lithuania	84-75	Argentina
Brazil	63-75	Australia
Spain	73-75	United States
1998
Spain	86-80	Lithuania
Australia	78-96	United States
Argentina	86-76	Brazil

Knockout phase

Ninth-to-twelfth-place playoffs

	Ninth to twelfth				Ninth place
	Puerto Rico	64
	Brazil	76
					Brazil	75
					Australia	79
	Canada	71
	Australia	88
					Eleventh place
					Puerto Rico	92
					Canada	81

Final Phase

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	7 August
	Russia	82
					8 August
	Lithuania	67
					Russia	66
	7 August
					United States	64
	Italy	77
									9 August
	United States	80
									Yugoslavia	64
	7 August
									Russia	62
	Yugoslavia	70
					8 August
	Argentina	62
					Yugoslavia	78
	7 August
					Greece	73			Third place
	Greece	69
									9 August
	Spain	62
									United States	84
									Greece	61

Classification 5-8

	5th-8th place				5th place
	Lithuania	71
	Italy	76
					Italy	61
					Spain	64
	Argentina	64
	Spain	77
					7th place
					Lithuania	77
					Argentina	76

Awards

1998 World Championship Winner
Yugoslavia First title

MVP
Yugoslavia Dejan Bodiroga

All-Tournament Team

• Vasili Karasev
• Alberto Herreros
• Dejan Bodiroga
• Gregor Fučka
• Željko Rebrača

Top scorers (ppg)

1. Alberto Herreros 17.8
2. Arturas Karnisovas 17.1
3. Shane Heal 17
4. Andrew Gaze 16.8
5. Jose "Piculin" Ortiz 16.5
6. Michael Takahashi 16.4
7. Vasili Karasev 16.1
8. Seo Jang-Hoon 15.2
9. Dejan Bodiroga 14.6
10. Orlando Vega 14.1

Final standings

1. Yugoslavia
2. Russia
3. United States
4. Greece
5. Spain
6. Italy
7. Lithuania
8. Argentina
9. Australia
10. Brazil
11. Puerto Rico
12. Canada
13. Nigeria
14. Japan
15. Senegal
16. South Korea

Team rosters

1. FR Yugoslavia: Dejan Bodiroga, Željko Rebrača, Aleksandar Đorđević, Dejan Tomašević, Predrag Drobnjak, Saša Obradović, Nikola Lončar, Vlado Šćepanović, Miroslav Berić, Milenko Topić, Dragan Lukovski, Nikola Bulatović (Coach: Željko Obradović)

2. Russia: Vasili Karasev, Sergei Babkov, Mikhail Mikhailov, Valeri Tikhonenko, Nikita Morgunov, Sergei Panov, Evgeni Kisurin, Vitali Nosov, Igor Kudelin, Zakhar Pashutin, Dimitri Domani, Igor Kurashov (Coach: Sergei Belov)

3. USA: Trajan Langdon, Wendell Alexis, Michael Hawkins, Brad Miller, Bill Edwards, Ashraf Amaya, Jimmy Oliver, Gerard King, Kiwane Garris, Jason Sasser, Jimmy King, David Wood (Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich)

4. Greece: Panagiotis Fassoulas, Nikos Ekonomou, Fragiskos Alvertis, Efthimis Rentzias, Iakovos Tsakalidis, Giorgos Sigalas, Aggelos Koronios, Dimitris Papanikolaou, Nikos Boudouris, Giorgos Kalaitzis, Giorgos Balogiannis, Giorgos Karagoutis (Coach: Panagiotis Giannakis)