2006 FIBA World Championship

The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), Japan Basketball Association (JABBA) and the 2006 Organizing Committee.

2006 FIBA World Championship
Tournament details
Host countryJapan
DatesAugust 19 – September 3
Teams24
Venue(s)5 (in 5 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Spain (1st title)
Runners-up Greece
Third place United States
Fourth place Argentina
Tournament statistics
Games played80
MVP Pau Gasol
Top scorer Yao Ming
(25.3 points per game)

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.

The tournament was won by Spain, who, in the championship final, beat Greece, 70–47, to finish the tournament having won all nine games played. For Spain, it was a record breaking performance at the FIBA World Championship and something the country had never seen before. It was the first time Spain had won Gold in the FIBA World Championship along with it being the first time Spain had won a medal at the 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 crushing loss by Greece. Up to 2014, including the 2014 tournament, it has been the only tournament where neither Yugoslavia or the USA have reached the final until 2019. 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.

Venues
Hamamatsu
Sapporo
Hamamatsu Arena
Capacity: 5,100		 Sapporo Arena
Capacity: 6,400
Hiroshima Saitama Sendai
Hiroshima Green Arena
Capacity: 6,900		 Saitama Super Arena
Capacity: 21,000		 Sendai Gymnasium
Capacity: 6,100

Qualification

Squads
Main article: 2006 FIBA World Championship squads

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

Competing nations

The following national teams competed:

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

Argentina
France
Lebanon
Nigeria
Serbia and Montenegro
Venezuela

Angola
Germany
Japan
New Zealand
Panama
Spain

Australia
Brazil
Greece
Lithuania
Qatar
Turkey

China
Italy
Puerto Rico
Senegal
Slovenia
United States

Teams qualified

Japan qualified as the host country, and Italy, Puerto Rico, Serbia and Montenegro, and Turkey gained FIBA wild-card invitations.[1] 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.

Preliminary rounds

Group A (Sendai)
Team Pts Pld W L PF PA Diff First Tiebreaker
Classification for Tied Teams
Argentina 10550464339+125
France 8532353329+24
Nigeria 7523371393−222W–0L
Serbia and Montenegro 7523409352+571W–1L
Lebanon 7523357451−940W–2L
Venezuela 6514336426−90

August 19, 2006

Venezuela 72–82 Lebanon
Serbia and Montenegro 75–82 Nigeria
Argentina 80–70 France

August 20, 2006

Nigeria 77–84 Venezuela
Lebanon 72–107 Argentina
France 65–61 Serbia and Montenegro

August 21, 2006

Argentina 96–54 Venezuela
Serbia and Montenegro 104–57 Lebanon
France 64–53 Nigeria

August 23, 2006

Nigeria 64–98 Argentina
Venezuela 65–90 Serbia and Montenegro
Lebanon 74–73 France

August 24, 2006

Serbia and Montenegro 79–83 Argentina
Lebanon 72–95 Nigeria
France 81–61 Venezuela

Group B (Hiroshima)
Team Pts Pld W L PF PA Diff
Spain 10550476336+140
Germany 9541421384+37
Angola 8532451406+45
New Zealand 7523345393−48
Japan 6514322393−71
Panama 5505326429−103

August 19, 2006

Germany 81–70 Japan
Angola 83–70 Panama
Spain 86–70 New Zealand

August 20, 2006

Japan 62–87 Angola
New Zealand 56–80 Germany
Panama 57–101 Spain

August 21, 2006

Angola 95–73 New Zealand
Germany 71–92 Spain
Japan 78–61 Panama

August 23, 2006

Spain 93–83 Angola
Panama 63–81 Germany
New Zealand 60–57 Japan

August 24, 2006

Angola 103–108 (3OT) Germany
New Zealand 86–75 Panama
Japan 55–104 Spain

Group C (Hamamatsu)
Team Pts Pld W L PF PA Diff
Greece 10550404358+46
Turkey 9541370358+12
Lithuania 8532413353+60
Australia 7523370349+21
Brazil 6514399392+7
Qatar 5505310456−146

August 19, 2006

Brazil 77–83 Australia
Greece 84–64 Qatar
Turkey 76–74 Lithuania

August 20, 2006

Qatar 66–97 Brazil
Australia 68–76 Turkey
Lithuania 76–81(OT) Greece

August 22, 2006

Lithuania 106–65 Qatar
Greece 72–69 Australia
Turkey 73–71 Brazil

August 23, 2006

Australia 57–78 Lithuania
Qatar 69–76 Turkey
Brazil 80–91 Greece

August 24, 2006

Australia 93–46 Qatar
Lithuania 79–74 Brazil
Greece 76–69 Turkey

Group D (Sapporo)
Team Pts Pld W L PF PA Diff First Tiebreaker
Classification for Tied Teams		 Second Tiebreaker
Basket Average for Tied Teams
United States 10550543428+115
Italy 9541386367+19
Slovenia 7523434433+11W–1L(167/160, 1.0438)
China 7523424455−311W–1L(165/167, 0.9880)
Puerto Rico 7523432440−81W–1L(172/177, 0.9718)
Senegal 5505355451−96

August 19, 2006

Puerto Rico 100–111 United States
Slovenia 96–79 Senegal
China 69–84 Italy

August 20, 2006

Senegal 79–88 Puerto Rico
Italy 80–76 Slovenia
United States 121–90 China

August 22, 2006

Puerto Rico 90–87 (OT) China
Italy 64–56 Senegal
Slovenia 95–114 United States

August 23, 2006

Senegal 83–100 China
Puerto Rico 82–90 Slovenia
United States 94–85 Italy

August 24, 2006

Slovenia 77–78 China
Italy 73–72 Puerto Rico
United States 103–58 Senegal

Knockout stage
All times are local (UTC +9).

Venue: Saitama Super Arena

 
Round of 16Quarter-finalsSemi-finalsFinal
 
              
 
August 26
 
 
 Argentina79
 
August 29
 
 New Zealand62
 
 Argentina83
 
August 26
 
 Turkey58
 
 Turkey90
 
September 1
 
 Slovenia84
 
 Argentina74
 
August 26
 
 Spain75
 
 Spain87
 
August 29
 
 Serbia and Montenegro75
 
 Spain89
 
August 26
 
 Lithuania67
 
 Italy68
 
September 3
 
 Lithuania71
 
 Spain70
 
August 27
 
 Greece47
 
 Greece95
 
August 30
 
 China64
 
 Greece73
 
August 27
 
 France56
 
 France68
 
September 1
 
 Angola62
 
 Greece101
 
August 27
 
 United States95 Third place
 
 United States113
 
August 30September 2
 
 Australia73
 
 United States85 United States96
 
August 27
 
 Germany65 Argentina81
 
 Germany78
 
 
 Nigeria77
 

Fifth through eighth place
 
Classification roundFifth place
 
      
 
August 31
 
 
 Turkey (OT)95
 
September 2
 
 Lithuania84
 
 Turkey56
 
August 31
 
 France64
 
 France75
 
 
 Germany73
 
Seventh place
 
 
September 3
 
 
 Lithuania77
 
 
 Germany62

Final
Main article: 2006 FIBA World Championship Final
September 3, 2006
7:30 p.m.
Greece  47–70  Spain
Scoring by quarter: 12–18, 11–25, 11–11, 13–16
Pts: Michail Kakiouzis 17
Rebs: Michail Kakiouzis 9
Asts: Papaloukas, Diamantidis 3 each		 Pts: Garbajosa, Navarro 20 each
Rebs: Carlos Jiménez 11
Asts: Garbajosa, Berni Rodríguez 4 each
Saitama Super Arena, Saitama
Attendance: 18,500
Scene from the final
Spain's Gold Medal ceremony

Since the inaugural competition one of the two teams competing for the title had been either the USA or Yugoslavia. After the latter's breakup, a Former Yugoslav Republic, Serbia, has taken its place in the final. The 2006 final was the first (the second was in 2019 also including Spain) in which none of these two 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 rankings
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  Spain 9–0
2  Greece 8–1
3  United States 8–1
4  Argentina 7–2
5  France 6–3
6  Turkey 6–3
7  Lithuania 5–4
8  Germany 5–4
9  Angola 3–3
 Australia 2–4
 China 2–4
 Italy 4–2
 New Zealand 2–4
 Nigeria 2–4
 Serbia and Montenegro 2–4
 Slovenia 2–4
17  Brazil 1–4
 Japan 1–4
 Lebanon 2–3
 Puerto Rico 2–3
21  Panama 0–5
 Qatar 0–5
 Senegal 0–5
 Venezuela 1–4

Awards
 2006 World Championship Winner 

Spain
First title
Most Valuable Player
Pau Gasol

All-Tournament Team
Main article: FIBA Basketball World Cup All-Tournament Team

Leading scorers
No. Player Team PPG
1
Yao Ming China
25.3
2
Dirk Nowitzki Germany
23.2
3
Pau Gasol Spain
21.3
4
Carlos Arroyo Puerto Rico
21.2
5
Larry Ayuso Puerto Rico
21.2

Referees

For the World Championship, FIBA selected 40 professional referees.

Group A
  • Aibara, Nobuyasu
  • Avanessian, Heros
  • Aylen, Michael
  • Chlif, Abdellilah
  • Dovidavičius, Virginijus
  • Facchini, Fabio
  • Jungebrand, Carl
  • Moore, Terry Matthew
  • Trías Iglesias, Álvaro Darío
 Group B
  • Muhimua Joao, Abreu
  • Belošević, Ilija
  • Carrión, José Aníbal
  • Chiti, Alejandro César
  • Noujaim, Rabah
  • Ryzhyk, Borys
  • Sudek, Petr
  • Viator, Eddie
  • Yang Maogong
 Group C
  • Arteaga, Juan Carlos
  • Cerebuch, Guerrino
  • Estévez, Pablo Alberto
  • Homsy, Mike Amir
  • Mercedes Sánchez, Reynaldo Antonio
  • Miyatake, Yosuke
  • Muhvić, Dubravko
  • Pukl, Saša
  • Rush, Eddie Fernanzo
  • Vázquez, Jorge
 Group D
  • Bachar, Shmuel
  • Brazauskas, Romualdas
  • Butler, Scott Jason
  • Delgado Casadiego, Daniel Alfredo
  • Hirahara, Yuji
  • Jovčić, Milivoje
  • Maranho, Cristiano Jesus
  • Martín Bertrán, José Antonio
  • Simão, Domingos Francisco

Sponsorship

• McDonald's

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References
  1. Press Release no. 38: ITA, PUR, YUG and TUR receive Wild Cards
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