# 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)