2006 FIBA World Championship

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox international basketball competition The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), Japan Basketball Association (JABBA) and the 2006 Organising Committee.

For the first time since 1986, the World Championship was contested by 24 nations, eight more than in 2002. As a result, group rounds were conducted in four cities, with the knockout rounds being hosted by Saitama City.

Spain won the tournament by beating Greece 70–47 in the championship final. Spain won all nine games they played. Spain's gold medal in this tournament was the first medal Spain had ever won in a FIBA World Championship. Pau Gasol also became the first Spaniard to win the MVP award. It was the first time a country has won all nine of its games since 1994 when the United States won all nine games and took the gold medal home. The bronze medal was won by the United States, who defeated Argentina, 96–81, in the third place game, after a semi-finals loss to Greece. Up to 2019, including the 2014 tournament, it has been the only tournament where neither Yugoslavia or the USA have reached the final. The 2006 tournament marked the final appearance of Serbia and Montenegro as they broke up into the independent nations of Serbia and Montenegro after a successful independence referendum in Montenegro in May.

Seventeen years after the 2006 edition, Japan once again hosted the FIBA World Championships, now called the World Cup in 2023 in Okinawa along with the Philippines and Indonesia.

Venues

Hamamatsu	Template:Location map+	Sapporo
Hamamatsu Arena Capacity: 5,100		Sapporo Arena Capacity: 6,400
File:Hamamatsu Arena.jpg		File:Kita-eru-Espolada.jpg
Hiroshima	Saitama	Sendai
Hiroshima Green Arena Capacity: 6,900	Saitama Super Arena Capacity: 21,000	Sendai Gymnasium Capacity: 6,100
File:Hiroshima Prefectural Sports Center 2021-03 ac (2).jpg	File:Japanese Saitama Super Arena.jpg	File:Arena of the Kameiarena sendai.jpg

Qualification

There were 24 teams taking part in the 2006 World Cup of Basketball.

• Host nation: 1 berth
• 2004 Summer Olympics: 12 teams competing for 1 berth, removed from that country's FIBA zone
• FIBA Africa: 12 teams competing for 3 berths
• FIBA Oceania: 2 teams competing for 2 berths
• FIBA Americas: 10 teams competing for 4 berths
• FIBA Asia: 16 teams competing for 3 berths
• FIBA Europe: 16 teams competing for 6 berths
• Wild card: 4 berths

Qualified teams

Event	Date	Location	Berths	Qualified
Host nation			1	Template:Bk
2004 Olympics	August 15–28, 2004	Template:Flagicon Athens	1	Template:Bk
2005 FIBA Africa Championship	August 15–24, 2005	Template:Flagicon Algiers	3	Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk
2005 FIBA Oceania Championship	August 17–21, 2005	Template:Flagicon Auckland and Dunedin	2	Template:Bk Template:Bk
2005 FIBA Americas Championship	August 24–September 4, 2005	Template:Flagicon Santo Domingo	4	Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk
2005 FIBA Asia Championship	September 8–16, 2005	Template:Flagicon Doha	3	Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk
EuroBasket 2005	4–22 September 2005	Template:Flagcountry	6	Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk
Wild cards			4	Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk
TOTAL			24

Squads

At the start of tournament, all 24 participating countries had 12 players on their roster.

Competing nations

The following national teams competed:

File:2006 FIBA WC qualifying.png

Teams that entered qualification tournaments; Asia (purple), Africa (orange), Americas (green), Europe (blue) and Oceania (yellow) and automatic qualifiers (aqua)

Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk	Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk	Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk	Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk Template:Bk

File:FIBA WC 2006 Teams.png

Teams qualified

Japan qualified as the host country, and Italy, Puerto Rico, Serbia and Montenegro, and Turkey gained FIBA wild-card invitations. Argentina qualified as the champion of the 2004 Olympics. The remaining 18 countries qualified through their continents' qualifying tournaments (six from Europe, four from the Americas, three from each of Asia and Africa and two from Oceania).

The draw for the 2006 World Championship was held in Tokyo on 15 January 2006. In the preliminary rounds, Group A played at Sendai, Group B at Hiroshima, Group C at Hamamatsu and Group D at Sapporo. The Medal Rounds were played at Saitama.

Group stage

Group A

Venue: Sendai Gymnasium, Sendai

19 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	72–82	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	75–82	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	80–70	Template:Bk

20 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	77–84	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	72–107	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	65–61	Template:Bk

21 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	96–54	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	104–57	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	64–53	Template:Bk

23 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	64–98	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	65–90	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	74–73	Template:Bk

24 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	79–83	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	72–95	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	81–61	Template:Bk

Group B

Venue: Hiroshima Green Arena, Hiroshima

19 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	81–70	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	83–70	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	86–70	Template:Bk

20 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	62–87	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	56–80	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	57–101	Template:Bk

21 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	95–73	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	71–92	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	78–61	Template:Bk

23 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	93–83	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	63–81	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	60–57	Template:Bk

24 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	103–108 (3OT)	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	86–75	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	55–104	Template:Bk

Group C

Venue: Hamamatsu Arena, Hamamatsu

19 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	77–83	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	84–64	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	76–74	Template:Bk

20 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	66–97	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	68–76	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	76–81(OT)	Template:Bk

22 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	106–65	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	72–69	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	73–71	Template:Bk

23 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	57–78	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	69–76	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	80–91	Template:Bk

24 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	93–46	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	79–74	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	76–69	Template:Bk

Group D

Venue: Sapporo Arena, Sapporo

19 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	100–111	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	96–79	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	69–84	Template:Bk

20 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	79–88	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	80–76	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	121–90	Template:Bk

22 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	90–87 (OT)	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	64–56	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	95–114	Template:Bk

23 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	83–100	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	82–90	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	94–85	Template:Bk

24 August 2006

Template:Bk-rt	77–78	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	73–72	Template:Bk
Template:Bk-rt	103–58	Template:Bk

Knockout stage

Venue: Saitama Super Arena, Saitama

Final

File:Basketball WC 2006 Final 7.jpg

Scene from the final. A member of Span's team is seen dunking the ball

File:Basketball WC 2006 Final 6.jpg

Spain's Gold Medal ceremony

Since the inaugural competition in 1950 the five competing countries for the title had always been two of Argentina, United States, Soviet Union, Brazil and Yugoslavia, one of which always being either United States or Yugoslavia. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia took its place in the finals of 1994 and 1998, and after the breakup of Yugoslavia, FR Yugoslavia took its place in the finals of 1998 and 2002. The 2006 final was the first and only one in which none of these five teams competed.

The final was an unexpectedly one-sided affair, with Spain dominating from the beginning and limiting Greece to just 47 points, fewer than the Greeks had scored in any single game in the tournament, and less than half what Greece had scored against the US in the semifinals. Spain won despite having lost power forward Pau Gasol, who was ultimately named the tournament's most valuable player, to injury in a semifinal match against Argentina.

Final standings

File:2006 FIBA World Championship final rankings.png

2006 FIBA World Championship final rankings.

• Teams that were eliminated at the round of 16 are officially tied for 9th.
• Teams that were 5th at their preliminary rounds are officially tied for 17th.
• Teams that were 6th at their preliminary rounds are officially tied for 21st.

Rank	Team	Record
1	Template:Bk	9–0
2	Template:Bk	8–1
3	Template:Bk	8–1
4	Template:Bk	7–2
5	Template:Bk	6–3
6	Template:Bk	6–3
7	Template:Bk	5–4
8	Template:Bk	5–4
9	Template:Bk	3–3
	Template:Bk	2–4
	Template:Bk	2–4
	Template:Bk	4–2
	Template:Bk	2–4
	Template:Bk	2–4
	Template:Bk	2–4
	Template:Bk	2–4
17	Template:Bk	1–4
	Template:Bk	1–4
	Template:Bk	2–3
	Template:Bk	2–3
21	Template:Bk	0–5
	Template:Bk	0–5
	Template:Bk	0–5
	Template:Bk	1–4

Awards

Most Valuable Player
Template:Flagicon Pau Gasol

All-Tournament Team

• Template:Flagicon Pau Gasol
• Template:Flagicon Jorge Garbajosa
• Template:Flagicon Carmelo Anthony
• Template:Flagicon Manu Ginóbili
• Template:Flagicon Theodoros Papaloukas

Leading scorers

No.	Player	Team	PPG
1	Yao Ming	Template:Bk	25.3
2	Dirk Nowitzki	Template:Bk	23.2
3	Pau Gasol	Template:Bk	21.3
4	Carlos Arroyo	Template:Bk	21.2
5	Larry Ayuso	Template:Bk	21.2

Referees

For the World Championship, FIBA selected 40 professional referees.

Group A Template:Flagicon Aibara, Nobuyasu Template:Flagicon Avanessian, Heros Template:Flagicon Aylen, Michael Template:Flagicon Chlif, Abdellilah Template:Flagicon Dovidavičius, Virginijus Template:Flagicon Facchini, Fabio Template:Flagicon Jungebrand, Carl Template:Flagicon Moore, Terry Matthew Template:Flagicon Trías Iglesias, Álvaro Darío

Group B Template:Flagicon Muhimua Joao, Abreu Template:Flagicon Belošević, Ilija Template:Flagicon Carrión, José Aníbal Template:Flagicon Chiti, Alejandro César Template:Flagicon Noujaim, Rabah Template:Flagicon Ryzhyk, Borys Template:Flagicon Sudek, Petr Template:Flagicon Viator, Eddie Template:Flagicon Yang Maogong

Group C Template:Flagicon Arteaga, Juan Carlos Template:Flagicon Cerebuch, Guerrino Template:Flagicon Estévez, Pablo Alberto Template:Flagicon Homsy, Mike Amir Template:Flagicon Mercedes Sánchez, Reynaldo Antonio Template:Flagicon Miyatake, Yosuke Template:Flagicon Muhvić, Dubravko Template:Flagicon Pukl, Saša Template:Flagicon Rush, Eddie Fernanzo Template:Flagicon Vázquez, Jorge

Group D Template:Flagicon Bachar, Shmuel Template:Flagicon Brazauskas, Romualdas Template:Flagicon Butler, Scott Jason Template:Flagicon Delgado Casadiego, Daniel Alfredo Template:Flagicon Hirahara, Yuji Template:Flagicon Jovčić, Milivoje Template:Flagicon Maranho, Cristiano Jesus Template:Flagicon Martín Bertrán, José Antonio Template:Flagicon Simão, Domingos Francisco

Sponsorship

• McDonald's Template:Empty section

External links

• Template:Official website
• Template:Officialwebsite
• Template:Official website