# 1963 FIBA World Championship

The 1963 FIBA World Championship was the 4th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The competition was hosted by Brazil from 12 to 25 May 1963.
The Philippines was originally awarded the right to host the tournament, but FIBA rescinded this after the Filipino immigration officials refused to grant visas to players from communist countries.
Brazil, the defending champion and a previous host, re-hosted the championship from 12 to 25 May 1963, and won the first back-to-back title with just six games, having been seeded and entering the well-rested team in the final round only.

## Background

The Philippines was supposed to host the FIBA World Championship in 1962 but FIBA revoked hosting rights after the government of then President Diosdado Macapagal, refused to grant visas to players and officials of socialists countries including Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union.
The FIBA World Championship was held in 1963 in Brazil.

## Competing nations

| Event | Date | Location | Berths | Qualified |
| Original host nation | | | 0 | Philippines |
| 1959 FIBA World Championship/host nation | 16–31 January 1959 | Chile | 1 | Brazil |
| 1960 Summer Olympics | 26 August–10 September 1960 | Rome | 1 | United States |
| EuroBasket 1961 | 29 April–8 May 1961 | Beograd | 3 | Soviet Union Yugoslavia France |
| South American Basketball Championship 1961 | 20–30 April 1961 | Rio de Janeiro | 3 | Peru Uruguay Argentina |
| Wild cards | | | 5 | Canada Mexico Puerto Rico Italy Japan |

## Suspension

FIBA suspended the original host country, the Philippines, after Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal refused to allow players from Yugoslavia and other communist countries to enter the country.
Brazil, being the defending champion and a previous host, managed to re-host the championship.
Later, the Philippines, despite being the Asian champion, were forced to play in a pre-Olympic tournament in order to qualify for the 1964 Summer Olympics.

## Competition format

* Preliminary round: Three groups of four teams play each other once; top two teams progress to the final round, bottom two teams relegated to classification round.
* Classification round: All bottom two teams from preliminary round group play each other once. The team with the best record is ranked eighth; the worst is ranked 13th.
* Final round: All top two teams from preliminary round group, the 1960 Olympic champion, and the host team play each other once. The team with the best record wins the championship.

## Preliminary round
### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 0 | 222 | 177 | +45 | 6 | Final round |
| 2 | France | 3 | 2 | 1 | 200 | 181 | +19 | 5 | Final round |
| 3 | Uruguay | 3 | 1 | 2 | 195 | 214 | −19 | 4 | Classification round |
| 4 | Canada | 3 | 0 | 3 | 158 | 203 | −45 | 3 | Classification round |
* 12 May
| France | 64–54 | Uruguay |
| Scoring by half: 19-25, 45-29 |||
* Belo Horizonte
* 12 May
| Soviet Union | 58–45 | Canada |
| Scoring by half: 27-24, 31-21 |||
* Belo Horizonte
* 13 May
| Canada | 56–66 | Uruguay |
| Scoring by half: 27-25, 29-41 |||
* Belo Horizonte
* 13 May
| France | 57–70 | Soviet Union |
| Scoring by half: 30-28, 27-42 |||
* Belo Horizonte
* 14 May
| Canada | 57–79 | France |
| Scoring by half: 25-28, 32-51 |||
* Belo Horizonte
* 14 May
| Uruguay | 75–94 | Soviet Union |
| Scoring by half: 30-39, 45-55 |||
* Belo Horizonte

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Yugoslavia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 262 | 208 | +54 | 6 | Final round |
| 2 | Puerto Rico | 3 | 2 | 1 | 234 | 212 | +22 | 5 | Final round |
| 3 | Japan | 3 | 1 | 2 | 198 | 231 | −33 | 4 | Classification round |
| 4 | Peru | 3 | 0 | 3 | 181 | 224 | −43 | 3 | Classification round |
* 12 May
| Yugoslavia | 84–67 | Peru |
| Scoring by half: 30-42, 54-25 |||
* Curitiba
* 12 May
| Puerto Rico | 86–65 | Japan |
| Scoring by half: 33-33, 53-32 |||
* Curitiba
* 13 May
| Puerto Rico | 70–64 | Peru |
| Scoring by half: 45-33, 25-31 |||
* Curitiba
* 13 May
| Japan | 63–95 | Yugoslavia |
| Scoring by half: 24-37, 39-58 |||
* Curitiba
* 14 May
| Peru | 50–70 | Japan |
| Scoring by half: 17-41, 33-29 |||
* Curitiba
* 14 May
| Puerto Rico | 78–83 | Yugoslavia |
| Scoring by half: 35-42, 43-41 |||
* Curitiba

### Group C

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | United States | 3 | 3 | 0 | 256 | 202 | +54 | 6 | Final round |
| 2 | Italy | 3 | 2 | 1 | 258 | 242 | +16 | 5 | Final round |
| 3 | Mexico | 3 | 1 | 2 | 240 | 260 | −20 | 4 | Classification round |
| 4 | Argentina | 3 | 0 | 3 | 206 | 256 | −50 | 3 | Classification round |
* 12 May
| United States | 88–74 | Mexico |
| Scoring by half: 41-42, 47-32 |||
* Ginásio do Ibirapuera, São Paulo
* 12 May
| Italy | 91–73 | Argentina |
| Scoring by half: 42-34, 49-39 |||
* Ginásio do Ibirapuera, São Paulo
* 13 May
| Mexico | 82–90 | Italy |
| Scoring by half: 44-36, 38-54 |||
* Ginásio do Ibirapuera, São Paulo
* 13 May
| Argentina | 51–81 | United States |
| Scoring by half: 26-43, 25-38 |||
* Ginásio do Ibirapuera, São Paulo
* 14 May
| Mexico | 84–82 | Argentina |
| Scoring by half: 42-53, 42-29 |||
* Ginásio do Ibirapuera, São Paulo
* 14 May
| United States | 87–77 | Italy |
| Scoring by half: 42-34, 45-43 |||
* Ginásio do Ibirapuera, São Paulo

## Classification round

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 8 | Argentina | 5 | 4 | 1 | 449 | 414 | +35 | 9 |
| 9 | Mexico | 5 | 3 | 2 | 389 | 364 | +25 | 8 |
| 10 | Uruguay | 5 | 3 | 2 | 376 | 372 | +4 | 8 |
| 11 | Canada | 5 | 3 | 2 | 365 | 375 | −10 | 8 |
| 12 | Peru | 5 | 2 | 3 | 362 | 367 | −5 | 7 |
| 13 | Japan | 5 | 0 | 5 | 377 | 426 | −49 | 5 |
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head record: Mexico 1–1 (1.07 GAvg), Uruguay 1–1 (1.01 GAvg), Canada 1–1 (0.92 GAvg)
* 16 May
| Argentina | 88–86 | Mexico |
| Scoring by half: 41-40, 47-46 |||
* Petrópolis
* 16 May
| Peru | 66–59 (OT) | Canada |
| Scoring by half: 32-24, 20-28 Overtime: 14-7 |||
* Petropolis
* 17 May
| Japan | 63–79 | Uruguay |
| Scoring by half: 30-42, 33-37 |||
* Petropolis
* 17 May
| Peru | 57–72 | Mexico |
| Scoring by half: 27-34, 30-38 |||
* Petropolis
* 18 May
| Argentina | 103–85 | Japan |
| Scoring by half: 58-39, 45-46 |||
* Petropolis
* 18 May
| Canada | 73–71 | Uruguay |
| Scoring by half: 34-30, 39-41 |||
* Petropolis
* 19 May
| Peru | 66–67 | Uruguay |
| Scoring by half: 34-29, 32-38 |||
* Petropolis
* 20 May
| Canada | 82–77 | Argentina |
| Scoring by half: 51-34, 31-43 |||
* Petropolis
* 20 May
| Mexico | 71–70 | Japan |
| Scoring by half: 35-36, 36-34 |||
* Petropolis
* 21 May
| Peru | 95–85 | Japan |
| Scoring by half: 53-46, 42-39 |||
* Petropolis
* 21 May
| Argentina | 97–83 | Uruguay |
| Scoring by half: 46-45, 51-38 |||
* Petropolis
* 22 May
| Peru | 78–84 (OT) | Argentina |
| Scoring by half: 38-36, 37-39 Overtime: 3-9 |||
* Petropolis
* 22 May
| Mexico | 87–73 | Canada |
| Scoring by half: 38-32, 49-41 |||
* Petropolis
* 23 May
| Japan | 74–78 | Canada |
| Scoring by half: 41-42, 33-36 |||
* Petropolis
* 23 May
| Uruguay | 76–73 | Mexico |
| Scoring by half: 42-33, 34-40 |||
* Petropolis

## Final round

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Brazil (C, H) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 485 | 411 | +74 | 12 |
| 2 | Yugoslavia | 6 | 5 | 1 | 472 | 424 | +48 | 11 |
| 3 | Soviet Union | 6 | 4 | 2 | 426 | 399 | +27 | 10 |
| 4 | United States | 6 | 3 | 3 | 498 | 433 | +65 | 9 |
| 5 | France | 6 | 2 | 4 | 369 | 438 | −69 | 8 |
| 6 | Puerto Rico | 6 | 1 | 5 | 366 | 426 | −60 | 7 |
| 7 | Italy | 6 | 0 | 6 | 407 | 492 | −85 | 6 |
* 16 May
| Soviet Union | 58–48 | France |
| Scoring by half: 25-23, 33-25 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 16 May
| United States | 73–75 | Yugoslavia |
| Scoring by half: 32-30, 41-45 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 16 May
| Brazil | 62–55 | Puerto Rico |
| Scoring by half: 25-27, 37-28 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 17 May
| Yugoslavia | 73–57 | Puerto Rico |
| Scoring by half: 34-32, 39-25 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 17 May
| United States | 81–61 | France |
| Scoring by half: 36-35, 45-26 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 17 May
| Brazil | 81–62 | Italy |
| Scoring by half: 40-24, 41-38 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 18 May
| Puerto Rico | 60–67 | France |
| Scoring by half: 27-28, 33-39 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 18 May
| Yugoslavia | 85–74 | Italy |
| Scoring by half: 34-36, 51-38 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 18 May
| United States | 74–75 | Soviet Union |
| Scoring by half: 40-34, 34-41 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 20 May
| France | 67–63 | Italy |
| Scoring by half: 30-24, 37-39 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 20 May
| Yugoslavia | 71–90 | Brazil |
| Scoring by half: 27-51, 44-39 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 21 May
| Puerto Rico | 55–64 | Soviet Union |
| Scoring by half: 18-29, 37-35 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 21 May
| France | 63–77 | Brazil |
| Scoring by half: 31-38, 32-39 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 22 May
| Italy | 63–83 | Soviet Union |
| Scoring by half: 28-48, 35-35 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 22 May
| Puerto Rico | 64–88 | United States |
| Scoring by half: 26-33, 38-55 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 23 May
| Italy | 73–101 | United States |
| Scoring by half: 28-59, 45-42 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 23 May
| Soviet Union | 79–90 | Brazil |
| Scoring by half: 42-43, 37-47 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 24 May
| Italy | 72–75 | Puerto Rico |
| Scoring by half: 31-42, 41-33 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 24 May
| France | 63–99 | Yugoslavia |
| Scoring by half: 33-46, 30-53 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 25 May
| Soviet Union | 67–69 | Yugoslavia |
| Scoring by half: 28-34, 39-35 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro
* 25 May
| Brazil | 85–81 | United States |
| Scoring by half: 39-39, 46-42 |||
* Ginásio do Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro

## Awards

* 1963 World Championship winner
* Brazil Second title
* Most Valuable Player
* Wlamir Marques

## Final standings

| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Brazil | 6–0 |
| 2 | Yugoslavia | 8–1 |
| 3 | Soviet Union | 7–2 |
| 4 | United States | 6–3 |
| 5 | France | 4–5 |
| 6 | Puerto Rico | 3–6 |
| 7 | Italy | 2–7 |
| 8 | Argentina | 4–4 |
| 9 | Mexico | 4–4 |
| 10 | Uruguay | 4–4 |
| 11 | Canada | 3–5 |
| 12 | Peru | 2–6 |
| 13 | Japan | 1–7 |
| — | Philippines | Suspended |

## All-Tournament Team

* Amaury Pasos (Brazil)
* Wlamir Marques - (MVP) (Brazil)
* Aleksander Petrov (USSR)
* Don Kojis (USA)
* Maxime Dorigo (France)

## Top scorers (ppg)

* Ricardo Duarte (Peru) 23.1
* Aleksander Petrov (USSR) 17.6
* Luis Enrique Grajeda (Mexico) 17.5
* Radivoj Korać (Yugoslavia) 16.8
* Maxime Dorigo (France) 16.8
* Alfredo Tulli (Argentina) 16.1
* Alberto Desimone (Argentina) 16
* Rafael Valle (Puerto Rico) 15.8
* Nemanja Đurić (Yugoslavia) 14.6
* Paolo Vittori (Italy) 14.3