title: 2002 in basketball
text: # 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:
     * Harlem Globetrotters
     * Larry Brown
     * Earvin "Magic" Johnson
     * Robert "Lute" Olson
     * Drazen Petrovic
     * Sandra Kay Yow
  
  ### Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
  
  * Class of 2002
  
     * Cindy Brogdon
  
     * Hortência Marcari
  
     * Kamie Ethridge
  
     * Margaret Sexton Gleaves
  
     * Sandra Meadows
  
     * Lea Plarski
  
     * Marianne Crawford Stanley
  
     * Tara VanDerveer
  
  ## 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).
  * 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).
  * 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)
  