1994_FIBA_World_Championship
1994 FIBA World Championship
1994 edition of the FIBA World Championship
The 1994 FIBA World Championship was the 12th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Canada from August 4 to 14, 1994. The tournament was held at SkyDome[1] and Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto[2] as well as at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton.[2] The hosting duties were originally awarded to Belgrade, Yugoslavia, but after United Nations limited participation in sporting events in Yugoslavia, Toronto stepped in as a replacement option in 1992.
| FIBA Championnat du monde de basket-ball masculin 1994 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Canada |
| City | Toronto Hamilton |
| Dates | August 4–14 |
| Officially opened by | Ray Hnatyshyn |
| Teams | 16 (from 5 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | SkyDome Maple Leaf Gardens Copps Coliseum |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  United States (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  Russia |
| Third place |  Croatia |
| Fourth place |  Greece |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Games played | 64 |
| MVP | Shaquille O'Neal |
| Top scorer |  Andrew Gaze (23.9 points per game) |
← 1990 1998 → | |
The 1994 FIBA World Championship was the first time that the FIBA World Championship (now called the FIBA Basketball World Cup) allowed current American NBA players that had already played in an official NBA regular season game to participate. Prior to that only professionals from other leagues were allowed to compete, since players from other leagues were still considered amateurs.[3]
The tournament was won by the United States's "Dream Team II", who beat Russia 137–91 in the Final. The United States finished with a perfect 8–0 record (8 wins and 0 losses). The bronze medal was won by Croatia who beat Greece 78–60 in the bronze-medal game.
Three stadia were used during the tournament:
| Toronto | Hamilton | |
|---|---|---|
| SkyDome | Maple Leaf Gardens | Copps Coliseum |
| Capacity: 28,708 | Capacity: 16,538 | Capacity: 18,436 |
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There were 16 teams taking part in the 1994 World Cup of Basketball. After the 1992 Olympics, the continental allocation for FIBA Americas was reduced by one when the United States won the Olympic tournament, automatically qualifying them for the 1994 World Cup.
- Host nation: 1 berth
- 1992 Summer Olympics: 12 teams competing for 1 berth, removed from that country's FIBA zone.
- FIBA Oceania: 3 teams competing for 1 berth
- FIBA Europe: 16 teams competing for 5 berths
- FIBA Americas: 10 teams competing for 4 berths
- FIBA Africa: 9 teams competing for 2 berths
- FIBA Asia: 18 teams competing for 2 berths
Qualified teams
| Means of qualification | Date | Venue | Berths | Teams qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host | – | 1 |  Canada | |
| 1992 Olympic men's basketball tournament | July 26–August 8, 1992 |  Barcelona | 1 | United States |
| 1993 FIBA Oceania Championship | June 7–10, 1993 |  Auckland | 1 | Australia |
| EuroBasket 1993 | June 22–July 4, 1993 |  Berlin, Karlsruhe and Munich | 5 | Germany Russia Croatia Greece Spain |
| 1993 Tournament of the Americas | August 28–September 5, 1993 |  San Juan | 4 | Puerto Rico Argentina Brazil Cuba |
| FIBA Africa Championship 1993 | September 18–28, 1993 |  Nairobi | 2 |  Angola Egypt |
| 1993 ABC Championship | November 12–21, 1993 |  Jakarta | 2 |  China North Korea South Korea * |
| Total | 16 | |||
* North Korea withdrew from the tournament, South Korea replaced them.
The top two teams from each group remain in medal contention.
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
3 | 3 | 0 | 352 | 259 | +93 | 6 | Quarterfinal round |
| 2 | China |
3 | 2 | 1 | 252 | 301 | −49 | 5 | |
| 3 | Spain |
3 | 1 | 2 | 249 | 260 | −11 | 4 | 9th–16th classification round |
| 4 | Brazil |
3 | 0 | 3 | 242 | 275 | −33 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal average; 4) head-to-head number of points scored.
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croatia |
3 | 3 | 0 | 272 | 187 | +85 | 6 | Quarterfinal round |
| 2 | Australia |
3 | 2 | 1 | 249 | 255 | −6 | 5 | |
| 3 | Cuba |
3 | 1 | 2 | 244 | 257 | −13 | 4 | 9th–16th classification round |
| 4 | South Korea |
3 | 0 | 3 | 217 | 283 | −66 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal average; 4) head-to-head number of points scored.
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia |
3 | 3 | 0 | 251 | 187 | +64 | 6 | Quarterfinal round |
| 2 | Canada (H) |
3 | 2 | 1 | 240 | 198 | +42 | 5 | |
| 3 | Argentina |
3 | 1 | 2 | 204 | 234 | −30 | 4 | 9th–16th classification round |
| 4 | Angola |
3 | 0 | 3 | 168 | 244 | −76 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal average; 4) head-to-head number of points scored.
(H) Hosts
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greece |
3 | 2 | 1 | 201 | 183 | +18 | 5[lower-alpha 1] | Quarterfinal round |
| 2 | Puerto Rico |
3 | 2 | 1 | 248 | 219 | +29 | 5[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 3 | Germany |
3 | 2 | 1 | 217 | 198 | +19 | 5[lower-alpha 1] | 9th–16th classification round |
| 4 | Egypt |
3 | 0 | 3 | 183 | 249 | −66 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal average; 4) head-to-head number of points scored.
Notes:
The top two finishers from Groups I and II advance to the final round.
Group I
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
3 | 3 | 0 | 375 | 251 | +124 | 6 | Semifinals |
| 2 | Russia |
3 | 2 | 1 | 298 | 272 | +26 | 5 | |
| 3 | Australia |
3 | 1 | 2 | 244 | 314 | −70 | 4 | 5th–8th classification round |
| 4 | Puerto Rico |
3 | 0 | 3 | 249 | 329 | −80 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal average; 4) head-to-head number of points scored.
Group II
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croatia |
3 | 3 | 0 | 278 | 189 | +89 | 6 | Semifinals |
| 2 | Greece |
3 | 2 | 1 | 206 | 213 | −7 | 5 | |
| 3 | Canada (H) |
3 | 1 | 2 | 222 | 224 | −2 | 4 | 5th–8th classification round |
| 4 | China |
3 | 0 | 3 | 192 | 272 | −80 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal average; 4) head-to-head number of points scored.
(H) Hosts
Quarterfinal round
Group III
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain |
3 | 3 | 0 | 264 | 179 | +85 | 6 | 9th–12th classification round |
| 2 | Argentina |
3 | 2 | 1 | 266 | 221 | +45 | 5 | |
| 3 | South Korea |
3 | 1 | 2 | 229 | 284 | −55 | 4 | 13th–16th classification round |
| 4 | Egypt |
3 | 0 | 3 | 199 | 274 | −75 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal average; 4) head-to-head number of points scored.
Group IV
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany |
3 | 3 | 0 | 268 | 226 | +42 | 6 | 9th–12th classification round |
| 2 | Brazil |
3 | 1 | 2 | 236 | 251 | −15 | 4[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 3 | Cuba |
3 | 1 | 2 | 225 | 239 | −14 | 4[lower-alpha 1] | 13th–16th classification round |
| 4 | Angola |
3 | 1 | 2 | 226 | 239 | −13 | 4[lower-alpha 1] |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal average; 4) head-to-head number of points scored.
Notes:
13th–16th classification
| Semifinals | 13th place game | |||||
| South Korea | 75 | |||||
| Angola | 71 | |||||
| South Korea | 76 | |||||
| Egypt | 69 | |||||
| Egypt | 69 | |||||
| Cuba | 54 | |||||
| 15th place game | ||||||
| Angola | 67 | |||||
| Cuba | 75 | |||||
Semifinals
Fifteenth place playoff
Thirteenth place playoff
9th–12th classification
| Semifinals | 9th place game | |||||
| Spain | 90 | |||||
| Brazil | 85 | |||||
| Spain | 65 | |||||
| Argentina | 74 | |||||
| Argentina | 85 | |||||
| Germany | 71 | |||||
| 11th place game | ||||||
| Brazil | 93 | |||||
| Germany | 71 | |||||
Semifinals
Eleventh place playoff
Ninth place playoff
| Semifinals | 5th place game | |||||
| Australia | 95 | |||||
| China | 57 | |||||
| Australia | 96 | |||||
| Puerto Rico | 83 | |||||
| Puerto Rico | 85 | |||||
| Canada | 82 | |||||
| 7th place game | ||||||
| China | 76 | |||||
| Canada | 104 | |||||
Semifinals
Seventh place playoff
Fifth place playoff
| Semifinals | Final | |||||
| Russia | 66 | |||||
| Croatia | 64 | |||||
| Russia | 91 | |||||
| United States | 137 | |||||
| Greece | 58 | |||||
| United States | 97 | |||||
| Third place game | ||||||
| Croatia | 78 | |||||
| Greece | 60 | |||||
Semifinals
Third place playoff
Final
| 1994 FIBA World Championship winner |
|---|
 United States Third title |
All-Tournament Team
O'Neal, who had a sponsorship deal with Pepsi, declined to accept the MVP award and sent Shawn Kemp in his stead as the award, which was sponsored by Coca-Cola, was a bottle of Coke encased in glass atop a wooden base.[4][5]
Source:[6]
Andrew Gaze 23.9
Dino Rađa 22.4- Arijan Komazec 19.4
Hur Jae 19.4
Paolo de Almeida 19.4- Moon Kyung-Eun 19
Richard Matienzo 18.8
Shaquille O'Neal 18
Marcelo Nicola 17.7- Reggie Miller 17.1
- The New York Times, Sports of The Times; Toronto, Dream Team, The World
- "Why Can Pros Complete in International Events". Archived from the original on January 20, 2015.
- "Soda wars fizzle as O'Neal declines to accept award". The Orlando Sentinel. August 15, 1994. p. B2. Retrieved December 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "USAB: A Look Back at the USA Men's 1994 World Championship Gold Medal". Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
