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International Basketball Federation
Fédération internationale de basket-ball
(FIBA)
International Basketball Federation logo.svg
Abbreviation FIBA
Predecessor International Amateur Handball Federation
Formation 18 June 1932; 92 years ago (1932-06-18)
Founded at Geneva, Switzerland
Type Sports federation
Headquarters Mies, Switzerland
Region served
Worldwide
Membership
212 national federations
Official languages
English
French
President
Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani
Secretary general
Andreas Zagklis
Key people
Borislav Stanković
George Vassilakopoulos
Manfred Ströher
Revenue (2018)
US$102.2 million
Expenses (2018) US$107.74 million
Website FIBA.basketball
House of Basketball Patrick Baumann
FIBA headquarters in Mies, Switzerland

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA /ˈfbə/ FEE-bə; French: Fédération internationale de basketball) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the equipment and facilities required, organizes international competitions, regulates the transfer of athletes across countries, and controls the appointment of international referees. A total of 212 national federations are members, organized since 1989 into five zones: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

FIBA organizes both the men's and women's FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the Summer Olympics Basketball Tournament, which are sanctioned by the IOC. The FIBA Basketball World Cup is a world tournament for men's national teams held every four years. Teams compete for the Naismith Trophy, named in honor of basketball's Canadian-American creator James Naismith. The tournament structure is similar but not identical to that of the FIFA World Cup in association football; these tournaments occurred in the same year from 1970 through 2014, but starting in 2019, the Basketball World Cup will move to the year following the FIFA World Cup. A parallel event for women's teams, the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, is also held quadrennial; from 1986 through 2014, it was held in the same year as the men's event but in a different country.

History

1932–49; founding and early years

The association was founded in Geneva in 1932, two years after the sport was officially recognized by the IOC. Before 1934, basketball was under the umbrella of the International Amateur Handball Federation. Its original name was Fédération Internationale de basket-ball amateur. The eight nation's basketball federations that were the founding members of FIBA were: Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland. In September 1934 the Protocol of Stockholm was passed and the FIBB became the only recognized authority responsible for basketball. During the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, the Federation named James Naismith (1861–1939), the founder of basketball, as its Honorary President.

Development (1950–2019)

FIBA has organized a world championship, known as World Cup, for men since 1950 and a women's world championship, known as the Women's World Cup, since 1953. From 1986 through 2014, both events were held every four years, alternating with the Olympics. The men's World Cup was moved to a new four-year cycle, with tournaments in the year before the Summer Olympics, after 2014.

On 7 April 1989, at a special congress in Munich following the 1988–89 FIBA European Champions Cup finals, FIBA delegates voted, by a margin of 56 to 13, to allow professional basketball players to participate in its international events, including the World Cup and the Olympics. The decision led to professional players, particularly those from the United States' National Basketball Association, dominating the sport at the highest levels of international competition. The United States delegation opposed the change, but many other countries sought to benefit from it by recruiting NBA players who hailed from their countries. The change also warded off competition from the Goodwill Games, the biggest rival of the Olympics at the time, which was seeking to bring professional players into its basketball events.

The Federation headquarters moved to Munich in 1956, then returned to Geneva in 2002. In 1991, it founded the FIBA Hall of Fame; the first induction ceremony was held on 12 September 2007, during EuroBasket 2007. During its 81st anniversary in 2013, FIBA moved into its new headquarters, "The House of Basketball", at Mies. Andreas Zagklis became the Secretary-General of FIBA on 7 December 2018.

2020–present; suspensions of Russia and Belarus

In February 2022, Russia and Belarus were suspended from international competitions until further notice due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It also banned the two countries from hosting any competitions.

Presidents

Presidents of FIBA
Years Name
1932–1948 Switzerland Leon Bouffard
1948–1960 United States Willard Greim
1960–1968 Brazil Antonio dos Reis Carneiro
1968–1976 Egypt Abdel Moneim Wahby
1976–1984 Philippines Gonzalo Puyat II
1984–1990 France Robert Busnel
1990–1998 United States George E. Killian
1998–2002 Senegal Abdoulaye Seye Moreau
2002–2006 China Ching Men-ky [zh]
2006–2010 Australia Robert Elphinston
2010–2014 France Yvan Mainini
2014–2019 Argentina Horacio Muratore
2019–2023 Mali Hamane Niang
2023–present Qatar Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani

During the 1936 Summer Olympics, the FIBA honored James A. Naismith, the founder of basketball, as their honorary President.

Secretaries General

Secretaries General of FIBA
Years Name
1932–1976 United Kingdom Renato William Jones
1976–2003 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro Borislav Stanković
2003–2018 Switzerland Patrick Baumann
2018–present Greece Andreas Zagklis

Structure

Five zones and 212 national federations

World Map FIBA
FIBA divides the world into 5 zones, each roughly based on a continent.

There are five zones, in which FIBA oversees the game in the different continents and regions of the world through its regional offices under its new governance structure, which was approved by the 2014 FIBA Extraordinary Congress in Istanbul. National federations are members of FIBA and are provided for in FIBA's General Statutes with their assigned zones. The Statutes also state that upon a national federation's admission into FIBA, it is assigned to a zone by the Central Board.

  • FIBA Africa (54 members)
  • FIBA Americas (42 members)
  • FIBA Asia (44 members)
  • FIBA Europe (50 members)
  • FIBA Oceania (22 members)

FIBA recognizes 212 national federations; see the list of men's national basketball teams and the list of women's national basketball teams. Unlike other sports organizations, FIBA recognizes the British Basketball Federation as the lone governing body for basketball in Great Britain, as a result of a merger in 2016 between the basketball federations of two of the four Home Nations within the United Kingdom (England and Scotland). Wales had rejected the proposed merger in 2012 but agreed in 2015. Several members of FIBA Oceania, notably Australia and New Zealand, also compete in Asian tournaments.

In 2021, Peru was disaffiliated from FIBA after being suspended in 2018.

The FIBA Men's World Ranking and FIBA Women's World Ranking are both updated after a FIBA competition or qualification window and are based on their performance, particularly in games, in those events. The men's ranking was updated on 10 September 2023 after the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, while the latest women's ranking was updated on 21 August 2023 after the FIBA Women's Continental Cups, which took place in all FIBA zones.

Laws and governance

FIBA headquarter
FIBA in Mies.

FIBA's headquarters is located in Mies, Switzerland and is known as the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball, named after the organization's former Secretary-General.

FIBA's supreme body is the FIBA Congress, an assembly of representatives from each affiliated national federation, with each having one vote. The Congress assembles every two years, either an elective or mid-term congress, and is the only body that can make modifications to FIBA's General Statutes. An elective congress elects the FIBA President, Treasurer, and members of the FIBA Central Board, and appoints members of their Ethics and Nominations Panels. Two extraordinary congresses have been held since 1989, with the most recent held in 2014.

The FIBA Central Board is the organization's highest executive body. It comprises 29 people: the president; the secretary-general; the treasurer; 13 members elected by the FIBA Congress; the 5 presidents of each FIBA zone; up to six co-opted members; a representative each from the National Basketball Association and the players. The Board is the body that decides which countries will host the FIBA Basketball World Cup and the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. The Central Board for the term 2023-2027 comprises 27 members.

The president and the secretary general are the main office holders of FIBA and are in charge of its daily administration. Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani was elected president on 23 August 2023 at the FIBA Congress. Andreas Zagklis was appointed secretary-general on 8 December 2018 following the death of Patrick Baumann.

FIBA tournaments

World champions

Tournament FIBA World Cup Year Next edition Olympics Year
Men  Germany (1) 2023 2027  United States (16) 2020
Women  United States (11) 2022 2026  United States (9) 2020
U-19 Men  Spain (2) 2023 2025  Argentina (1) 2018
U-19 Women  United States (10) 2023 2025  United States (2) 2018
U-17 Men  United States (6) 2022 2024 N/A
U-17 Women  United States (5) 2022 2024

^ A: The Youth Olympic Games are a U-19 event played in FIBA 3x3 format.

World club champions

Club competition Year Champion Title Runner-up Next edition
Intercontinental Cup 2023-II Brazil Sesi Franca 1st Germany Telekom Baskets Bonn 2024

Continental champions

National teams FIBA Africa Year Next edition FIBA Americas Year Next edition FIBA Asia Year Next edition FIBA Europe Year Next edition FIBA Oceania Year Next edition
Men  Tunisia (3) 2021 2025  Argentina (3) 2022 2025  Australia (2) 2022 2025  Spain (4) 2022 2025  Australia (19) 2015 N/A
Women  Nigeria (6) 2023 2025  Brazil (6) 2023 2025  China (12) 2023 2025  Belgium (1) 2023 2025  Australia (15) 2015
U-19 Men  Egypt (6) 2022 2024  United States (10) 2022 2024  South Korea (4) 2022 2024  Serbia (5) 2023 2024  New Zealand (1) 2016
U-19 Women  Mali (8) 2022 2024  United States (11) 2022 2024  Australia (1) 2022 2024  Slovenia (1) 2023 2024  Australia (7) 2016
U-17 Men  Guinea (1) 2023 2025  United States (8) 2023 2025  Australia (3) 2023 2024  Spain (6) 2023 2024  Australia (6) 2022 2024
U-17 Women  Mali (8) 2023 2025  United States (7) 2023 2025  Australia (3) 2023 2024  France (5) 2023 2024  Australia (6) 2022 2024

^ B: FIBA Oceania no longer conducts senior-level championships for either sex. Since 2017, that region's members have competed for FIBA Asia senior championships. FIBA Oceania continues to hold age-grade championships.

Continental club champions

Region Competition Year Champion Title Runner-up Next edition
Men's club competitions
Africa Basketball Africa League 2023 Egypt Al Ahly 1st Senegal AS Douanes 2024
Americas Basketball Champions League Americas 2022–23 Brazil Sesi Franca 1st Brazil Flamengo 2023–24
Asia Basketball Champions League Asia 2019 Japan Alvark Tokyo 1st Lebanon Al Riyadi Beirut 2024
Europe Basketball Champions League 2023–24 Spain Unicaja Málaga 1st Spain Lenovo Tenerife 2024–25
Europe Cup 2023–24 Germany Niners Chemnitz 1st Turkey Bahçeşehir Koleji 2024–25
Women's club competitions
Africa Africa Women's Clubs Champions Cup 2022 Egypt Sporting Alexandria 1st Mozambique Costa do Sol 2023
Europe EuroLeague Women (1st-tier) 2023–24 Turkey Fenerbahçe 2nd France Villeneuve d'Ascq LM 2024–25
EuroCup Women (2nd-tier) 2023–24 United Kingdom London Lions 1st Turkey Beşiktaş 2024–25
SuperCup Women 2023 Turkey Fenerbahçe 1st France ASVEL Féminin 2024

^ C: The top-tier European professional basketball club competitions are complex. The EuroLeague run by Euroleague Basketball and its EuroCup are competing with the FIBA Europe organized competitions. The best European clubs have joined the closed league EuroLeague.

3x3 world champions

Tournament FIBA 3x3 World Cup Year Olympics Year
Men  Serbia (6) 2023  Latvia (1) 2020
Women  United States (3) 2023  United States (1) 2020
U-23 Men  United States (1) 2023 N/A
U-23 Women  Netherlands (1) 2023
U-18 Men  Germany (1) 2023
U-18 Women  United States (7) 2023

Awards

Most Valuable Player

Tournament Most Recent Awardee Team Year
Men Dennis Schröder  Germany 2023
Women A'ja Wilson  United States 2022
U-19 Men Izan Almansa  Spain 2023
U-19 Women Iyana Martín Carrión  Spain 2023
U-17 Men Izan Almansa  Spain 2022
U-17 Women JuJu Watkins  United States 2022

FIBA world rankings

Men's

The following table has the Top 32 men's basketball countries in the world. The Top 32 is here due to the next iteration of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the world's major tournament in men's basketball, anticipating to have 32 countries compete. As such, this table shows the projected teams in the next FIBA Men's WC based on the ranking's algorithm. This list does not consider berths given to countries based on hosting or region status.

Top 20 Rankings as of 1 March 2024
Rank Change Team Points
1 Steady  United States 784.8
2 Steady  Spain 773.9
3 Steady  Germany 759
4 Increase 1  Serbia 757.9
5 Decrease 1  Australia 756.3
6 Increase 2  Latvia 750.6
7 Decrease 1  Canada 746.2
8 Decrease 1  Argentina 743.2
9 Steady  France 737.1
10 Steady  Lithuania 713.1
11 Steady  Slovenia 703.6
12 Increase 1  Brazil 660.4
13 Steady  Italy 655.7
14 Steady  Greece 641.6
15 Steady  Poland 611.7
16 Steady  Puerto Rico 608.4
17 Steady  Montenegro 607.7
18 Increase 1  Czech Republic 560.5
19 Decrease 1  Dominican Republic 556.3
20 Steady  Finland 537.4
21 Increase 6  New Zealand 507.2
22 Decrease 4  Venezuela 502.7
23 Increase 10  Georgia 465.9
24 Decrease 8  Turkey 445.8
25 Increase 7  Mexico 440.9
26 Increase 11  Japan 432.2
27 Decrease 4  Iran 427.8
28 Increase 16  Lebanon 423.3
29 Decrease 1  China 420.4
30 Decrease 4  Croatia 420.2
31 Increase 32  South Sudan 375.5
32 Increase 1  Jordan 374.6
*Change from 9 August 2021

Women's

The following table has the Top 16 women's basketball countries in the world. The Top 16 is here due to the next iteration of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, the world's major tournament in women's basketball, anticipating to have 16 countries compete. As such, this table shows the projected teams in the next FIBA Women's WC based on the ranking's algorithm. This list does not consider berths given to countries based on hosting or region status.

Top 20 Rankings as of 15 February 2024
Rank Change Team Points
1 Steady  United States 834.8
2 Steady  China 686
3 Steady  Australia 668.8
4 Steady  Spain 658.1
5 Steady  Canada 653.4
6 Steady  Belgium 652.8
7 Steady  France 649.2
8 Steady  Brazil 598
9 Steady  Japan 594.2
10 Steady  Serbia 580.3
11 Increase 1  Puerto Rico 495.1
12 Decrease 1  Nigeria 490.1
13 Steady  South Korea 444.8
14 Steady  Turkey 405.5
15 Steady  Italy 378.4
16 Increase 5  Hungary 357.7
*Change from 9 August 2021

Sponsors of FIBA

FIBA global partners

  • Ganten
  • J9.com
  • Molten
  • Nike
  • Smart Communications
  • TCL Corporation
  • Tencent
  • Tissot
  • Wanda Group
  • Yili Group

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Federación Internacional de Baloncesto para niños

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