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Basketball World Championship Groups & Rankings
(Rankings as of January 15, 2006)

No longer the exclusive domain of the United States where it was first invented by James Naismith in 1891, basketball has emerged as a world sport in recent years as Team USA is eclipsed by other top nations.

Not to say that the United States has lost its world powerhouse standing in good old-fashioned B-Ball.

But they have lost their dominance in the last two international competitions. They finished sixth at the 2002 World Championship in Indianapolis and won the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.

This year, the U.S. was in a stronger position than ever with a team led by NBA basketball superstars Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony.

However, as Greece took away their powerful lead the team ultimately settled for bronze in a final victory over Argentina 96-81. It was their last game in the international arena until next summer, when they attempt an Olympic berth in the FIBA Americas tournament in Venezuela.

Basketball In Japan

In all, the 2006 Basketball World Championship had 24 competing nations - an increase from 16 - making the competition one of the most contentious in the game's history.

For the first time ever, Japan hosted the Basketball World Championship in 2006, which also marked the first time that the games will be played in Asia since Manila hosted the games in 1978.

The venue kicked off with preliminary rounds from August 19 - 24 with Group A at Sendai, Group B at Hiroshima, Group C at Hamamatsu and Group D at Sapporo City. The final games were held from August 26 - September 3, when the championship final at the Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo.

Basketball World Championships On Cable & Satellite Television

In the USA, limited coverage was seen on ESPN 2 with further coverage of most games on NBA TV.

TV stations worldwide also partnered with the International Basketball Federation and airing the championship games around the globe.


Basketball World Championships On the Web

Basketball World Championship 2006 - Good overview of the competition with complete venue, group listings & related links, from Wikipedia.

International Basketball.com - Portal to the world of basketball with links to international federations & associations, news, related global sites, facts & information.

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