2006 FIBA World Championship

The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan 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. Badtz-Maru, a fellow character of Hello Kitty from Japanese company Sanrio, was the official 2006 mascot.

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 different 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. The bronze medal was won by the United States, who defeated Argentina, 96–81, in the third place game. Up to 2014, including the 2014 tournament, it has been the only tournament where neither Yugoslavia (or its Former Yugoslav Republic of Serbia) nor the USA have reached the final.

3x3 (basketball)

3x3 (pronounced 3 on 3, 3 by 3 or 3x3), known also as streetball or street basketball is a form of the game played three a side on one hoop. It is the largest urban team sport of the world (ESSEC study commissioned by IOC). This basketball discipline is currently being promoted and structured by FIBA the sport's governing body. Its main competition is an annual FIBA 3X3 World Tour, comprising a series of Masters and one Final tournament awarding six-figure prize money in US dollars. The FIBA 3x3 World Championships is the highest tournament for national 3x3 teams.

History

3x3 has been a basketball format always played, albeit in a less formal way. The first large 3x3 competition was launched in 1989 by USA-based Hoop It Up, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2014. They state to have reached over 500,000 athletes in this period. Adidas launched its now-discontinued streetball competition in 1992. Since then, the number of 3x3 events and competitions has been steadily growing all around the world.

FIBA

The International Basketball Federation, more commonly known as FIBA, FIBA World, or FIBA International (/ˈfiːbə/ FEE-bə), from its French name Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball, is an association of national organizations which governs international competition in basketball. Originally known as the Fédération Internationale de Basket-ball Amateur (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word Amateur from its official name but retained the acronym; the "BA" now represents the first two letters of basketball.

FIBA defines the international rules of basketball, specifies the equipment and facilities required, regulates the transfer of athletes across countries, and controls the appointment of international referees. A total of 215 national federations are now members, organized since 1989 into five zones or "commissions": Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

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 creator James Naismith. The tournament structure is similar but not identical to that of the FIFA World Cup in 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 quadrennially; from 1986 through 2014, it was held in the same year as the men's event but in a different country. The women's tournament will continue to be held in the same year as the FIFA World Cup.