# 1997 in basketball

The following are the basketball events of the year 1997 throughout the world.

## Championships
### Professional

* Men
** 1997 NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls over the Utah Jazz 4-2. MVP: Michael Jordan
*** 1997 NBA Playoffs
*** 1996–97 NBA season
*** 1997 NBA draft
*** 1997 NBA All-Star Game
** Eurobasket: Yugoslavia 61, Italy 49
* Women
** WNBA Finals: Houston Comets over the New York Liberty. MVP: Cynthia Cooper
*** 1997 WNBA Playoffs
*** 1997 WNBA season
*** 1997 WNBA draft
** Eurobasket Women: Lithuania def. Slovakia

### College

* Men
** NCAA
*** Division I: University of Arizona 84, University of Kentucky 79
*** National Invitation Tournament: University of Michigan def. Florida State University
*** Division II: Cal State Bakersfield 57, Northern Kentucky University 56
*** Division III: Illinois Wesleyan University 89, Nebraska Wesleyan University 86
** NAIA
*** NAIA Division I: Life University (Ga.) 73, Oklahoma Baptist University 64
*** NAIA Division II: Bethel College (Indiana) (IN) 95, Siena Heights College (MI) 94
** NJCAA
*** NJCAA Division I: Indian Hills CC, Ottumwa, Iowa 89, San Jacinto College, (TX) 80
* Women
** NCAA
*** Division I: University of Tennessee 68, Old Dominion University 59
*** Division II: North Dakota State University 94, University of Southern Indiana 78
*** Division III New York University 72, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire 70
** NAIA
*** NAIA Division I: Southern Nazarene University (OK) 78 Union College (TN) (73)
*** NAIA Division II Northwest Nazarene University (ID) 64, Black Hills State University (SD) 46
** NJCAA
*** Division I Trinity Valley CC 79, Central Florida CC 69
*** Division II Kirkwood CC 76, Carl Sandburg College 67
*** Division III Anoka-Ramsey CC 80, Monroe CC 57

### Preps

Bloomington North defeats Delta to win Indiana's last open-class basketball state championship.

## Awards and honors
### Professional

* Men
** NBA Most Valuable Player Award: Karl Malone
** NBA Rookie of the Year Award: Allen Iverson
** NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: Dikembe Mutombo
** NBA Coach of the Year Award: Pat Riley, Miami Heat
* Women
** WNBA Most Valuable Player Award: Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets
** WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: Teresa Weatherspoon, New York Liberty
** Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Zheng Haixia, Los Angeles Sparks
** WNBA Coach of the Year Award: Van Chancellor, Houston Comets
** WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award: Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets

### Collegiate

* Men
** John R. Wooden Award: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
** Naismith College Coach of the Year: Roy Williams, Kansas
** Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: Brevin Knight, Stanford
** Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
** NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player: Jeff Sheppard, Kentucky
** Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year: Clem Haskins, Minnesota
** Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball: Phog Allen
* Women
** Naismith College Player of the Year: Kate Starbird, Stanford
** Naismith College Coach of the Year: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
** Wade Trophy: DeLisha Milton, Florida
** Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: Jennifer Howard, NC State
** Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year: Kara Wolters, Connecticut
** NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player: Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee
** Carol Eckman Award: Amy Ruley, North Dakota State University
** Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut

### Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

* Class of 1997:
** Pete Carril
** Joan Crawford
** Denise Curry
** Antonio Díaz-Miguel
** Alex English
** Don Haskins
** Bailey Howell

## Events

* WNBA played its first season.

## Movies

* Air Bud
* The Sixth Man

## Deaths

* January 8 — Paul Endacott, Hall of Fame player for the Kansas Jayhawks (born 1902)
* February 2 — Raimundo Saporta, former head of Real Madrid basketball and FIBA Hall of Fame member (born 1926)
* March 6 — Roger Brown, player for Indiana Pacers (born 1942)
* April 18 — Francis Johnson, American Olympic gold medalist (1936) (born 1910)
* May 16 — Bones McKinney, former coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and early NBA player (born 1919)
* May 17 — Tusten Ackerman, All-American college player at Kansas (born 1901)
* June 5 — Joe Schaaf, All-American college player (Penn) (born 1908)
* September 7 — Bill Strannigan, American college coach (Colorado State, Iowa State, Wyoming) (born 1918)
* December 23 — Lester Harrison, Hall of Fame coach of the 1951 NBA Champion Rochester Royals (born 1904)