# 2000 in basketball

The following are the basketball events of the year 2000 throughout the world.

## Championships
### 2000 Olympics

* Men:
    United States
    France
    Lithuania
* Women:
    United States
    Australia
    Brazil

### Professional

* Men
** 2000 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers over the Indiana Pacers 4-2. MVP: Shaquille O'Neal
*** 1999–2000 NBA season, 2000 NBA Playoffs, 2000 NBA draft, 2000 NBA All-Star Game
* Women
** WNBA Finals: Houston Comets over the New York Liberty 2-0. MVP: Cynthia Cooper
*** 2000 WNBA season, 2000 WNBA Playoffs, 2000 WNBA draft, 2000 WNBA All-Star Game

### College

* Men
** NCAA Division I: Michigan State University 89, University of Florida 76
** National Invitation Tournament: Wake Forest University 71, University of Notre Dame 61
** NCAA Division II: Metropolitan State College of Denver 97, Kentucky Wesleyan College 79
** NCAA Division III: Catholic 76, William Paterson College 62
** NAIA Division I: Life University (Ga.) 61, Georgetown College (Ky.) 59
** NAIA Division II: Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (Florida) 75, University of the Ozarks (Mo.) 63
** NJCAA Division I: Southeastern C.C., W. Burlington, Iowa 84, Calhoun C.C., Decatur, Alabama 70
* Women
** NCAA Division I: University of Connecticut 71, University of Tennessee 52
** NCAA Division II: Northern Kentucky 71, North Dakota State University 62 (OT)
** NCAA Division III Washington (Mo.) 77, University of Southern Maine 33
** NAIA Division I: Oklahoma City University 64, Simon Fraser (BC) 55
** NAIA Division II University of Mary (N.D.) 59, Northwestern (Iowa) 49

## Awards and honors
### Professional

* Men
** NBA Most Valuable Player Award: Shaquille O'Neal
** NBA Rookie of the Year Award: (tie) Elton Brand & Steve Francis
** NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: Alonzo Mourning
** NBA Coach of the Year Award: Doc Rivers, Orlando Magic
** Euroscar Award: Gregor Fučka, Fortitudo Bologna and Italy
** Mr. Europa: Gregor Fučka, Fortitudo Bologna and Italy
* 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: Betty Lennox, Minnesota Lynx
** WNBA Most Improved Player Award: Tari Phillips, New York Liberty
** Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Suzie McConnell Serio, Cleveland Rockers
** WNBA Coach of the Year Award: Michael Cooper, Los Angeles Sparks
** WNBA All-Star Game MVP: Tina Thompson, Houston Comets
** WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award: Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets

### Collegiate

* Combined
** Legends of Coaching Award: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
* Men
** John R. Wooden Award: Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati
** Naismith College Coach of the Year: Mike Montgomery, Stanford
** Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: Scoonie Penn, Ohio State
** Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year: Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati
** NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player: Shane Battier, Duke
** USBWA National Freshman of the Year: Jason Gardner, Arizona
** Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year: Larry Eustachy, Iowa State
** Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball: Bill Wall
* Women
** Naismith College Player of the Year: Tamika Catchings, Tennessee
** Naismith College Coach of the Year: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
** Wade Trophy: Edwina Brown, Texas
** Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: Helen Darling, Penn State
** Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year: Tamika Catchings, Tennessee
** NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player: Shea Ralph, UConn
** Carol Eckman Award: Kathy Delaney-Smith, Harvard University
** Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
** Nancy Lieberman Award: Sue Bird, Connecticut
** Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball: Harley Redin

### Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

* Class of 2000:
** Daniel "Danny" Biasone
** Robert A. McAdoo
** Charles Martin Newton
** Pat Head Summitt
** Isiah L. Thomas
** Morgan B. Wootten

### Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

* Class of 2000

## Events

* The Gary Steelheads joins the CBA
* January: Mark Cuban becomes owner of the Dallas Mavericks
* November 17: For the Phoenix Suns against the New York Knicks, Jason Kidd is debited with an NBA-record 14 turnovers in one game

## Movies

* Finding Forrester
* Love & Basketball
* Whatever Happened to Micheal Ray?

## Deaths

* January 4 — Al Schrecker, American NBL player (Pittsburgh Raiders) (born 1917)
* January 12 — Bobby Phills, Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets guard (born 1969)
* January 16 — Örlygur Aron Sturluson, Icelandic basketball player (Njarðvík) (born 1981)
* February 21 — Antonio Díaz-Miguel, Hall of Fame Spanish coach (born 1933)
* February 24 — Bernard Opper, All-American college player (Kentucky), NBL and original ABL player (born 1915)
* March 7 — Darrell Floyd, American college basketball player and national scoring champion (Furman)
* March 8 — Joe Mullaney, American college coach (Providence College) (born 1925)
* March 12 — Aleksandar Nikolić, Hall of Fame Serbian coach (born 1924)
* April 6 — Stan Watts, Hall of Fame college coach at Brigham Young University (born 1911)
* April 9 — Jack Gardner, Hall of Fame college coach at Kansas State and Utah (born 1910)
* May 5 — Bill Musselman, ABA, NBA and college coach. The first head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise (born 1940)
* May 9 — John Nucatola, Hall of Fame college and professional referee (born 1907)
* May 20 — Malik Sealy, Minnesota Timberwolves guard (born 1970)
* June 9 — John "Brooms" Abramovic, First college player to score 2000+ points and early professional (born 1919)
* June 16 — Mike Silliman, American NBA player (Buffalo Braves) and Olympic gold medalist (1968) (born 1944)
* June 28 — Haskell Cohen, former NBA public relations director and creator of Parade High School All-America teams (born 1914)
* July 7 — Denny Price, 62, American AAU player (Phillips 66ers) and college coach (Sam Houston State, Phillips).
* July 10 — Conrad McRae, Syracuse forward who played in Europe (born 1971)
* August 25 — Leo Barnhorst, Two-time NBA All-Star with the Indianapolis Olympians (born 1924)
* September 13 — Duane Swanson, American Olympic gold medalist (1936) (born 1913)
* October 6 — John Keller, American Olympic gold medalist (1952) (born 1928)
* October 7 — Ed Beisser, American college All-American (Creighton) and AAU (Phillips 66ers) player (born 1919)
* December 15 — Haris Brkić, Serbian player (Partizan) (born 1974)
* December 31 — Wayne Glasgow, American Olympic gold medalist (1952) (born 1926)