ANKARA/ISTANBUL (2014 FIBA World Championship for Women) - The referees that will officiate the games at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women have been announced.

The officials are 13 men and 11 women hailing from 24 countries across FIBA’s five continental zones. They rank in age from 30 to 49 (average age of 38.7) and have between two and 18 years of experience as FIBA referees (average of 8.5 years).

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (FIBA World Championship for Women) - The finalised rosters of the 16 participating teams at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women have been verified and confirmed.

All squads have been trimmed to 12 players, as the action tips off on Saturday 27 September in Ankara and Istanbul for the Group Phase (27-30 September).

Click on the name of the team(s) below to see the full roster.

Group A (Ankara): Brazil; Czech Republic; Japan; Spain
Group B (Ankara): Canada; France; Mozambique; Turkey
Group C (Istanbul): Australia; Belarus; Cuba; Korea
Group D (Istanbul): Angola; China; Serbia; USA

MIES (2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup) - As well as being a resounding success on the courts, the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup turned out to also be a huge hit across all of FIBA’s digital platforms.

FIBA offered a complete and innovative digital experience to engage and entertain all the fans during its flagship event.

FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member Patrick Baumann said: “The accomplishments and milestones achieved during the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup prove that we have established a very strong presence on digital platforms. Moving forward, FIBA will continue to bring our events closer to our fans using innovative digital tools. Basketball is a young sport with youth fans and we always have to keep in mind having the most efficient way possible to reach our audience across the globe.”

MIES - FIBA's Central Board convened its first meeting of the 2014-2019 term of office under the leadership of newly-elected President Horacio Muratore on Saturday 13 September. Key appointments were made to complete the composition of the Board and Mr Yvan Mainini was elected President of the International Basketball Foundation (IBF).

With the addition of the following persons, FIBA's Central Board now counts 26 members.

Here is a list of the members appointed to the Board:

- Mr Richard Carrion (PUR), CEO and Chairman of the Board of Popular, Inc., and a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC);

- Mr Mark Tatum (USA), the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer of the NBA, as NBA representative;

- Mr Vlade Divac (SRB), President of the National Olympic Committee of Serbia, as Players representative;

- Ms Yulia Anikeeva (RUS), President of the Russian Basketball Federation;

- Mr Manuel V Pangilinan (PHI), President of the Philippines Basketball Federation;

- Mr Erick Thohir (INA), President of the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA).

  MADRID (2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup) - The United States shot their way to the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup title by hitting 15 three-pointers in a 129-92 victory over Serbia in Sunday's Final to become the first repeat world champions since 2002.

 

Kyrie Irving and James Harden combined to hit nine of 11 three-pointers and scored 26 and 23 points respectively to lead the Americans in scoring. Six other US players scored in double figures, including DeMarcus Cousins, who had 11 points and nine rebounds.

 

The USA, winners of the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, claimed their fifth world crown, pulling them even with Yugoslavia for the most in history. Yugoslavia are also the last team to repeat as world champions in 1998 and 2002. Brazil also accomplished the feat in 1959 and 1963.

BARCELONA/MADRID (2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Following on from the already huge digital success of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, FIBA has made available for free download a second screen "FIBA REPLAY" app from the Apple App Store for the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals, Third-Place Game and Finals of its flagship event.

Thanks to this, fans worldwide can replay the best actions from multiple camera angles. This is the first time ever that such an app has been made available at an international basketball event.

FIBA has partnered with Intellicore and EVS to deliver an advanced sports app for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Fans get to select replays from the best actions from each game and watch them over and over again from different camera angles which they can choose.

The FIBA REPLAY app will pave the way for further developments at future FIBA events from 2015 onwards.

Christian Trotobas, CEO of Intellicore, said: “We are delighted to work with EVS's world-class sports technology to deliver this solution for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. It took us less than four weeks to launch the live service which will be a state-of-the-art replay experience for basketball fans everywhere.”

BILBAO/GRAN CANARIA/GRANADA/SEVILLA (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - The Group Phase of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup came to an end on Thursday night and witnessed a lot of thrilling, entertaining and close games and this was reflected in some equally impressive broadcast ratings.

This was most evident in games of the host nation Spain. Their 88-64 win over France on Wednesday - a measure of revenge for their EuroBasket 2013 Semi-Final 75-72 defeat to the eventual European Champions - was watched by an average of just under four million people with a market share of 22.2%, the highest so far at Spain 2014. The audience peaked at a market share of 29.7% and nearly five million viewers. As a comparison, the audience was higher than the two MotoGP home Grand Prix races in Jerez (2.71 million) and Catalunya (2.65 million).

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (FIBA 3x3 World Tour) - Team Trbovlje defeated Kranj in a thrilling 17-16 overtime win in Saturday’s all-Slovenian final of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Lausanne Masters, which was held in the heart of the Olympic capital.

Former number one 3x3 player in the world Simon Finzgar was unstoppable in the deciding game, scoring 10 points, including a game-winning two-pointer off the screen in overtime.

The event’s top scorer (36 points overall) Jure Erzen had 7 while sharpshooter Dario Krejic added 6 points in a losing effort for Kranj, who had won the Lausanne Masters in 2013.

The two teams had met several times this season, including in the final of the 3x3 Slovenian Championship on 19 July and in the pool stage of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Lausanne Masters on Friday (29 August). Both times Kranj had won the game.

BILBAO/GRAN CANARIA/GRANADA/SEVILLA/BARCELONA/MADRID (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - The finalised rosters of the 24 participating teams at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup have been verified and confirmed.

All squads have been trimmed to 12 players, as the action tips off on Saturday 30 August in Bilbao, Granada, Gran Canaria and Sevilla for the Group Phase (30 August-4 September).

Click on the name of the team(s) below to see the full roster.
Group A (Granada): Brazil; Egypt; France; Iran; Serbia; Spain
Group B (Sevilla): Argentina; Croatia; Greece; Philippines; Puerto Rico; Senegal
Group C (Bilbao): Dominican Republic; Finland; New Zealand; Turkey; Ukraine; USA
Group D (Gran Canaria): Angola; Australia; Korea; Lithuania; Mexico; Slovenia

SEVILLA - Delegates from the 116 national federations in attendance at the FIBA World Congress on Thursday elected 12 of the potential 29 members that will make up the Central Board for the 2014-2019 term of office.

Horacio Muratore, who succeeds Yvan Mainini in becoming the new President of FIBA, was elected by acclamation.

MIES, Switzerland (2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup) - FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, and social media giant Twitter are teaming up on a large-scale and cutting-edge collaboration starting at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup (30 August-14 September).

For the first time ever, fans will get live scores from every game of FIBA’s flagship event on Twitter. All they have to do is tweet ‘@FIBA scores’ to find out in real time how their favourite team is performing.

MIES, Switzerland - FIBA has taken a huge leap forward with the launch of the TV Academy (www.fibatvacademy.com), a revolutionary, innovative and cutting edge online educational tool, which has been developed by the International Basketball Federation in order to guide and educate the users in the best practice production of a basketball game.

Basketball is a truly global game and, as with any global sport, the styles and ways of broadcasting the games vary significantly around the world. The TV Academy is the destination for basketball directors to visit and understand the basic fundamental principles and skills required for the optimum coverage of the sport of basketball.

The site content has been developed through the analysis of the production of basketball games from around the world and the input of basketball directors that have been responsible for FIBA World and Continental Championships, Olympic Games as well as NBA and Euroleague basketball games.

Through the TV Academy, FIBA will improve the overall production level of the game of basketball as well as improve the awareness, interest and visual image of the sport. This in turn will lead to more people of all ages, genders and cultures playing basketball. This tool will become increasingly important in relation to the new FIBA calendar in 2017 where more and more games will need to be produced around the world.

SEVILLA - FIBA on Wednesday held its final Central Board meeting of the 2010-2014 cycle. Out of it came the fact that the International Basketball Federation and its zones had achieved an enormous amount in the space of four years, with the potential to carry that momentum and accomplish even more in the future.

The full extent of the work carried out was reflected in the Board convening a total of 11 times during the period. Arguably the most impressive achievement in that time was the completion of the four pillars, a project set out at the 2010 World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (FIBA 3x3 World Tour) - Team Novi Sad (SRB) edged out Bucharest (ROU) in an intense 16-14 win in Sunday’s final of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Prague Masters, which was staged on Wenceslas Square, in the historic centre of the Czech capital.

The number one 3x3 player in the world, Dusan Domovic Bulut, had 9 points in the final, including two key free-throws in the last minute of the game, while team-mate Marko Savic added 6.

The final was a rematch of last year’s edition where Novi Sad comfortably beat Bucharest (21-15). This time around, the Romanian team was a threat until the final horn, thanks to new addition Adrian Vasile Stefan’s 6 points and Angel Santana’s 4.

Their team-mate Catalin Vlaicu, who had scored 10 points or more in every game and was top scorer of the event, was limited to just 3 points in the final.

MIES, Switzerland (2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup) - The referees that will officiate the games at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup have been announced.

The 38 officials come from 28 countries across FIBA’s five continental zones. They rank in age from 27 to 50 (average age of 38.7) and have between three and 20 years of experience as FIBA referees (average of 11.6 years).

Click here to view the full list of referees.

The group consists of tested individuals who have the much-needed combination of experience and proven potential. All referees nominated/selected to officiate at FIBA’s flagship event have been carefully monitored through various competitions in the lead-up to the competition taking place in Spain from 30 August to 14 September.

MIES, Switzerland/CINCINNATI, USA (2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup) - FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, and Procter & Gamble (P&G), the world's largest maker of consumer packaged goods for home, hair and health, have signed a comprehensive partnership agreement to support FIBA’s main competitions until 2015.

This partnership will see Head & Shoulders, the world #1 shampoo brand, take on Global Partner status, starting with the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain (30 August-14 September 2014).  Head & Shoulders will also support the FIBA World Championship for Women in Turkey (27 September-5 October 2014) and EuroBasket 2015 (5-20 September 2015).

In addition, as part of this partnership, Head & Shoulders will also support FIBA's up-and-coming 3x3 discipline. Starting in 2015, the brand will organise an annual FIBA-endorsed Head and Shoulders 3x3 tour in a number of countries around the world. The winning team of this tour will be granted a place in FIBA's 3x3 World Tour.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (2014 FIBA U17 World Championship) - The 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship came to a dramatic conclusion in Dubai on Saturday, with the two-time defending champions United States withstanding a stiff challenge by Australia to prevail 99-92 in the Final and capture their third consecutive crown in the tournament.

In a repeat of the 2012 U17 Worlds Final, Malik Newman paced the Americans with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Jayson Tatum had 15 points and both Harry Giles and Josh Jackson scored 13 points. Dejan Vasiljevic knocked down six three-pointers in scoring 29 points while Tom Wilson had 23 points and Isaac Humphries was saddled with foul trouble throughout the game and was held to 10 points and seven rebounds. Click here for the full game report.

The Third-Place Game saw Serbia prevail in a battle of European powers as they knocked off Spain, 62-59. The win enabled the Serbs to get a measure of revenge for their loss to Spain in the Final of last summer’s U16 European Championship, the qualifying tournament for the U17 Worlds. Click here for the full game report.

Newman was rewarded for his impressive play in the tournament by being named the Most Valuable Player, presented by Tissot. He headlined the All-Tournament Team which also consisted of his USA team-mate Diamond Stone, the Australian pair of Humphries and Vasiljevic and Serbia's Nikola Rakicevic.

MIES, Switzerland/MADRID, Spain (2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup) - FIBA, the International Basketball Federation and FEB, the Spanish Basketball Federation, on Tuesday released 'Sube la Copa' the official song of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Written, produced and recorded by award-winning Spanish singer Huecco, it was selected by FIBA and FEB as the official song for the upcoming edition of FIBA's flagship event taking place in Spain (30 August-14 September).

The song will bring together fans and spectators from all around the world in a festive atmosphere as they cheer on their favourite teams and players in the premier world basketball extravaganza. You can listen to the song here.

A quarter basketball mad South African nation will be given the opportunity to experience some NBA action courtesy of an exhibition match that is being planned for August 2015. South Africa once played host to the NBA in 2003 when the professionals held a camp.

Players and coaches will provide instruction to 60 top young African players while also conducting clinics and providing the campers with life skill lessons.

The exhibition game has been penciled for next August and Mark Tatum, the Deputy Commissioner, made the announcement on Tuesday in Johannesburg where the NBA is holding a Basketball without Borders camp.

BEIJING, China (FIBA 3x3 World Tour) - Team Wukesong (CHN) dazzled the local crowds with a 21-10 win against Nagoya (JPN) in Sunday's final of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Beijing Masters, which was staged in the heart of Beijing’s Wukesong Hi-Park, a basketball heaven with its 100 outdoors and indoors baskets.

Chris Reaves was on fire in the final, scoring 14 points including the game-winner from behind the arc. His outstanding performance in the decider helped him soar to the top of the scoring charts in Beijing with 51 total points in five games.

Reaves was one of two US players on Team Wukesong, which also featured two Chinese players. The FIBA 3x3 World Tour sees teams of four players representing a city (here a district of Beijing) regardless of their nationality.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced Yao Ming as the latest Ambassador for this summer’s 2nd Youth Olympic Games (YOG) taking place in Nanjing, China.
 
The Chinese basketball legend will share his advice and experience of international competition with the next generation of young athletes, while inspiring young people around the world to get active and embrace the Olympic values.

Yao Ming is no stranger to the Olympic Games having competed at the 2008 Beijing Games, where he scored the first basket of the tournament in his home nation, a moment which he described as “the proudest of my career”. A popular athlete in China, Yao Ming has also enjoyed success further afield after spending the majority of his career within the illustrious NBA.

MANILA, Philippines (FIBA 3x3 World Tour) - The 2014 FIBA 3x3 World Tour started in style in the Fashion Hall of the SM Megamall, where Team Manila West (PHI) brought thousands of local fans to their feet with a 21-17 victory against Doha (QAT) to claim the opening Masters of the season.

John Aldrich Ramos was a key contributor in the final, scoring seven points including the game-winning basket from behind the arc. His team-mate, the high-flying Rey Guevarra, also tallied seven points of his own.

After winning all of their games - including a 21-17 success over Manila West in the pool stage on Saturday - Team Doha fell short in the final. Yaseen Musa had eight points in the losing effort.

MIES, Switzerland/ISTANBUL, Turkey (2014 FIBA World Championship for Women) - Tickets for the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women are on sale and can be purchased on www.biletix.com, the official ticketing partner of the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF ) for one of FIBA’s flagship event.

Games of the Group Phase and Qualifications for Quarter-Finals will be played in Ankara and Istanbul from Saturday 27 September to Wednesday 1 October. The Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals (Third-Place Game and Final) will then take place in Istanbul from Friday 3 October to Sunday 5 October.

The ticket prices have been determined with a view to make effective use of the Championship as a platform to “increase the impact of basketball in empowering young girls and women” and to attract a maximum number of spectators to the games.

PILSEN/KLATOVY, Czech Republic (2014 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women) - The 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women came to a dramatic conclusion in Pilsen on Sunday, with the two-time defending champions USA claiming a dramatic 77-75 win over Spain to hold on to their title.

Spain's Angela Salvadores did her best to put an end to the Americans' reign with a monumental 40-point effort, but Lauren Cox and Asia Durr stepped up for the Americas, who claimed a third consecutive U17 Women crown.

Cox finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Durr contributed 17 points and both came up with big plays down the stretch. Click here for the full game report.

It was obvious LeBron James of the Miami Heat was determined and desperate as he and the Miami Heat came out of the gates guns blazing as they took it to the San Antonio Spurs early in Game 5 to stave off elimination. But in a game where you have to play for 4 quarters, the race is not for the swift but rather the one with endurance and the will to fight to the end and that is exactly what the San Antonio Spurs are.

The Spurs were able to outlast the Heat with their first quarter burst of scoring and eventually turned the tables to beat them by a score of 104 – 87 and win their 5th Franchise NBA Championships Title.