The 30th FIBA EuroBasket, held in Spain in 1997, doubled as the European qualifier for the 1998 FIBA World Championship.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 30th FIBA EuroBasket
- Host cities
- Badalona, Barcelona, Girona
- Dates
- 24 June – 6 July 1997
- Participating teams
- 16 national teams
- Final score
- Serbia 61–49 Italy
- Tournament MVP
- Saša Đorđević (Serbia)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
FIBA Europe organized its 30th continental basketball championship, selecting Spain as the host nation, with games distributed across Badalona, Barcelona, and Girona. The event also carried additional weight as the European qualifying tournament for the 1998 FIBA World Championship, with berths available to the top four or five finishers.
Sixteen national teams competed in Spain from 24 June to 6 July 1997. Serbia (competing under the name Yugoslavia in prior editions) reached the final against Italy and won the championship 61–49, claiming the nation's second EuroBasket title. Saša Đorđević was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Serbia secured a World Championship berth alongside the other top finishers. The victory marked Serbia's second EuroBasket title and the seventh for a team representing the same federation across different names, reinforcing the country's standing as a dominant force in European basketball.