2002 in basketball

The following are the basketball events of the year 2002 throughout the world.

Championships

World Championship

• Men
  • Gold medal: Yugoslavia
  • Silver medal: Argentina
  • Bronze medal: Germany
  • Final match: Yugoslavia 84, Argentina 77
  • MVP: Dirk Nowitzki, Germany
  • All-tournament team: Nowitzki, Pero Cameron (New Zealand), Manu Ginóbili (Argentina), Peja Stojakovic (Yugoslavia), Yao Ming (China)
• Women
  • Gold medal: USA
  • Silver medal: Russia
  • Bronze medal: Australia
  • Final match: USA 79, Russia 74

Professional

• Men
  • 2002 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers over the New Jersey Nets 4–0. MVP: Tim Duncan (More information can be found at 2002-03 NBA season.)
    • 2002 NBA Playoffs, 2002 NBA draft, 2001-02 NBA season, 2002 NBA All-Star Game
  • Philippine Basketball Association 2002 season:
    • Purefoods TJ Hotdogs over the Alaska Aces 4–3 in the Governor's Cup Finals
    • Red Bull Thunder over the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals 4–3 in the Commissioner's Finals
    • Coca-Cola Tigers over the Alaska Aces 3–1 in the All-Filipino Cup Finals
  • Euroleague: Panathinaikos over Kinder Bologna 89–83 in the final match.
• Women
  • WNBA Finals: Los Angeles Sparks over the New York Liberty 2–0. MVP: Lisa Leslie
    • 2002 WNBA season, 2002 WNBA Playoffs, 2002 WNBA draft, 2002 WNBA All-Star Game

College

• Men
  • NCAA Division I: Maryland 64, Indiana 52
  • National Invitation Tournament: University of Memphis
  • NCAA Division II: Metropolitan State College of Denver 80, Kentucky Wesleyan College 72
  • NCAA Division III: Otterbein College 102, Elizabethtown College 83
  • NAIA Division I Oklahoma Science & Arts 96, Oklahoma Baptist University 79
  • NAIA Division II Evangel (Mo.) 84, Robert Morris (Ill.) 61
• Women
  • NCAA Division I: University of Connecticut 82, Oklahoma 70
  • Women's National Invitation Tournament: University of Oregon
  • NCAA Division II: Cal Poly Pomona 74, Southeastern Oklahoma 62
  • NCAA Division III Wis.-Stevens Point 67, St. Lawrence 65
  • NAIA Division I: Oklahoma City 82, Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 73
  • NAIA Division II Hastings (Neb.) 73, Cornerstone (Mich.) 69

Awards and honors

Professional

• Men
  • NBA Most Valuable Player Award: Tim Duncan
  • NBA Rookie of the Year Award: Pau Gasol
  • NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: Ben Wallace
  • NBA Coach of the Year Award: Rick Carlisle, Detroit Pistons
  • Euroscar Award: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks and  Germany
  • Mr. Europa: Peja Stojaković, Sacramento Kings and Serbia and Montenegro
• Women
  • WNBA Most Valuable Player Award: Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets
  • WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets
  • WNBA Rookie of the Year Award: Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever
  • WNBA Most Improved Player Award: Coco Miller, Washington Mystics
  • Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Jennifer Gillom, Phoenix Mercury
  • WNBA Coach of the Year Award: Marianne Stanley, Washington Mystics
  • WNBA All-Star Game MVP: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks
  • WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks

Collegiate

• Combined
  • Legends of Coaching Award: Denny Crum, Louisville
• Men
  • John R. Wooden Award: Jay Williams, Duke
  • Naismith College Coach of the Year: Ben Howland, Pittsburgh
  • Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: Steve Logan, Cincinnati
  • Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year: Jay Williams, Duke
  • NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
  • USBWA National Freshman of the Year: T. J. Ford, Texas
  • Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year: Ben Howland, Pittsburgh
  • Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball: Don Haskins
• Women
  • Naismith College Player of the Year: Sue Bird, Connecticut
  • Naismith College Coach of the Year: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
  • Wade Trophy: Sue Bird, Connecticut
  • Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: Sheila Lambert, Baylor
  • Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year: Sue Bird, Connecticut
  • NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player: Swin Cash, UConn
  • Basketball Academic All-America Team: Stacey Dales-Schuman, Oklahoma
  • Carol Eckman Award: Barbara Stevens, Bentley College
  • Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year: Brenda Oldfield, Minnesota
  • List of Senior CLASS Award women's basketball winners: Sue Bird, Connecticut
  • Nancy Lieberman Award: Sue Bird, Connecticut
  • Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball: Billie Moore

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

• Class of 2002:^[1]
  • Harlem Globetrotters
  • Larry Brown
  • Earvin "Magic" Johnson
  • Robert "Lute" Olson
  • Drazen Petrovic
  • Sandra Kay Yow

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

• Class of 2002^[2]

• Cindy Brogdon
• Hortência Marcari
• Kamie Ethridge
• Margaret Sexton Gleaves
• Sandra Meadows
• Lea Plarski
• Marianne Crawford Stanley
• Tara VanDerveer

Events

Movies

• Double Teamed
• Juwanna Mann
• Like Mike

Deaths

• January 6 — Fred Taylor, Hall of Fame coach of the 1960 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes (born 1924)
• January 7 — Geoff Crompton, American NBA player (born 1955)
• January 18 — Alex Hannum, Hall of Fame pro basketball coach (born 1923)
• January 26 — Milt Ticco, American NBL player (born 1922)
• February 2 — Ed Jucker, American college coach (Cincinnati) (born 1916)
• February 13 — Bob Gerber, American NBL player (born 1916)
• February 21 — Gene Sullivan, American college coach (Loyola (Illinois)) (born 1931)
• March 11 — Al Bonniwell, American NBL player (Akron Firestone Non-Skids) (born 1911)
• March 18 — Don Betourne, American NBL player and coach (Kankakee Gallagher Trojans) (born 1915)
• May 5 — Jimmy Smith, American college All-American (Steubenville) (born 1934)
• June 3 — Cecil Hankins, NBA player (St. Louis Bombers, Boston Celtics) (born 1922)
• June 22 — Bobby Roberts, American college coach (Clemson).^[3]
• July 7 — Bison Dele, NBA player (born 1969)
• July 17 — Ubiratan Pereira Maciel, Hall of Fame Brazilian basketball player (born 1944)
• July 27 — Billy McCann, 82, American college coach (Hampden–Sydney, Washington and Lee, Virginia).^[4]
• August 8 — Chick Hearn, television and radio announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers (born 1916)
• September 2 — Abe Lemons, American college coach (Oklahoma City, Texas) (born 1922)
• September 7 — Edward Spotovich, American NBL player (born 1916)
• September 14 — Jim Barnes, Former #1 overall NBA draft pick and 1964 Olympic Gold medalist (born 1941)
• September 23 — Jule Rivlin, American NBL player (Akron Goodyear Wingfoots, Toledo Jeeps) and college coach (Marshall) (born 1917)
• December 17 — Bobby Joe Hill, American college national champion at Texas Western (1966) (born 1943)
• December 17 — Hank Luisetti, college basketball player and inventor of the layup; first player to score 50 points in a game (born 1916)