2010 in basketball

Last updated August 04, 2025

The following are the basketball events of the year 2010 throughout the world.

National team tournaments

Venue	Tournament	Champion	Runner-up	Third place	Result	Playoff format
Turkey	2010 FIBA Basketball World Cup	United States	Turkey	Lithuania	81–67	One-game playoff
Czech Republic	2010 FIBA Basketball Women's World Cup	United States	Czech Republic	Spain	89–69	One-game playoff
Toulouse and Rodez	2010 FIBA Under-17 Women's World Championships	United States	France	China	92–62	One-game playoff
Hamburg	2010 FIBA Under-17 World Championships	United States	Poland	Canada	111–80	One-game playoff

Men's Senior Division: All-Tournament Team

2010 FIBA Basketball World Cup
Nation	Player
United States	Kevin Durant (MVP)
Lithuania	Linas Kleiza
Argentina	Luis Scola
Serbia	Miloš Teodosić
Turkey	Hedo Türkoğlu

Women's Senior Division: All-Tournament Team

2010 FIBA Basketball Women's World Cup
Nation	Player
Czech Republic	Hana Horáková (MVP)
United States	Diana Taurasi
Czech Republic	Eva Vítečková
Spain	Sancho Lyttle
Belarus	Yelena Leuchanka

Youth Division: All-Tournament Team

2010 FIBA Basketball Under-17 World Cup
Nation	Player
Canada	Kevin Pangos
Poland	Mateusz Ponitka
United States	Bradley Beal (MVP)
United States	James Michael McAdoo
Poland	Przemyslaw Karnowski

Professional club seasons

Continental championships

Men:

Euroleague: Regal FC Barcelona
Eurocup: Power Electronics Valencia
EuroChallenge: BG Göttingen
Asia Champions Cup: Mahram Tehran
Liga Sudamericana: Quimsa

Women:

EuroLeague Women: Spartak Moscow Region

National championships

Men:

NBA
- Season:
  - Division champions: Boston Celtics (Atlantic), Cleveland Cavaliers (Central), Orlando Magic (Southeast), Denver Nuggets (Northwest), Los Angeles Lakers (Pacific), Dallas Mavericks (Southwest)
  - Best regular-season record: Cleveland Cavaliers (61–21)
  - Eastern Conference: Boston Celtics
  - Western Conference: Los Angeles Lakers
- Finals: The Lakers defeat the Celtics 4–3 in the best-of-seven series, with Kobe Bryant named Finals MVP.
Liga Nacional de Básquet, 2009–10 season:
- Regular season: Peñarol
- Playoffs: Peñarol defeat Atenas 4–1 in the best-of-seven final.
National Basketball League, 2009–10 season:
- Premiers: Perth Wildcats
- Champions: Perth Wildcats defeat the Wollongong Hawks 2–1 in the best-of-three Grand Final.
Basketball League Belgium:
Bulgarian National League: Lukoil Academic defeat Levski Sofia 3–1 in the best-of-five final.
Chinese Basketball Association:
- Regular season: Guangdong Southern Tigers
- Playoffs: Guangdong Southern Tigers defeat Xinjiang Flying Tigers 4–1 in the best-of-seven final.
Croatian League: Cibona defeat Zadar 3–2 in the best-of-five final.
Czech League: Nymburk defeat Prostějov 4–1 in the best-of-seven final.
Dutch Eredivisie: GasTerra Flames Groningen defeat WCAA Giants Bergen op Zoom 4–1 in the best-of-seven final.
Estonian League, 2009–10: TÜ/Rock defeat Rakvere Tarvas 4–2 in the best-of-7 final.
French Pro A League: Cholet defeat Le Mans 81–65 in the one-off final.
German Bundesliga, 2009–10 season: Brose Baskets defeat Deutsche Bank Skyliners 3–2 in the bist-of-five final.
Greek League, 2009–10 season: Panathinaikos defeat Olympiacos 3–1 in the best-of-five final.
Iranian Super League, 2009–10 season: Mahram defeat Zob Ahan 2–0 in the best-of-three final.
Israeli Super League, 2009–10 season: Gilboa/Galil defeat Maccabi Tel Aviv 90–77 in the one-off final.
Italian Serie A, 2009–10 season: Montepaschi Siena sweep AJ Milano 4–0 in the best-of-seven final.
Latvian League: Barons defeat VEF Riga 4–3 in the best-of-seven final.
Lithuanian LKL: Lietuvos Rytas defeat Žalgiris 4–3 in the best-of-seven final.
Montenegro League:
Philippine Basketball Association, 2009–10 season:
- Philippine Cup: Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants sweep the Alaska Aces 4–0 in the best-of-seven final.
- Fiesta Conference: Alaska Aces defeat the San Miguel Beermen 4–2 in the best-of-seven final.
Polish League: Asseco Prokom Gdynia sweep Anwil Włocławek 4–0 in the best-of-seven final.
Russian Super League: CSKA Moscow sweep Khimki Moscow Region 3–0 in the best-of-five final.
Serbia Super League:
Slovenian League: Krka defeat Union Olimpija 3–2 in the best-of-five final.
Spanish ACB:
- Season: Regal FC Barcelona
- Playoffs: Caja Laboral Baskonia sweep Regal FC Barcelona 3–0 in the best-of-five final.
Turkish Basketball League: Fenerbahçe Ülker defeat Efes Pilsen 4–2 in the best-of-seven final.
Ukrainian SuperLeague: Azovmash Mariupol defeat Budivelnyk Kyiv 3–2 in the best-of-five final.
British Basketball League, 2009–10:
- Season: Newcastle Eagles
- Playoffs: Everton Tigers defeat the Glasgow Rocks 80–72 in the one-off final.
Adriatic League: Partizan Belgrade defeat Cibona 75–74 in overtime in the one-off final.
Baltic League: Žalgiris defeat Lietuvos Rytas 73–66 in the one-off final.
VTB United League, 2009–10 season: CSKA Moscow defeat UNICS Kazan 66–55 in the one-off final.
Super Basketball League:Yulon Dinos defeat Dacin Tigers 4–2 in the best-of-seven final.

Women:

WNBA
- Season:
  - Eastern Conference: Atlanta Dream
  - Western Conference: Seattle Storm
- Finals: The Storm sweep the Dream 3–0, with their center Lauren Jackson becoming the first non-U.S. player to be named Finals MVP.

College

Men

NCAA
- Division I: Duke 61, Butler 59
  - Most Outstanding Player: Kyle Singler, Duke
- National Invitation Tournament: Dayton 79, North Carolina 68
- College Basketball Invitational: Virginia Commonwealth defeats Saint Louis 2–0 in the best-of-three final.
- CollegeInsider.com Tournament: Missouri State 78, Pacific 65
- Division II: Cal Poly Pomona 65, Indiana (PA) 53
- Division III: Wisconsin–Stevens Point 78, Williams 73
NAIA
- NAIA Division I: Oklahoma Baptist 84, Azusa Pacific 83
- NAIA Division II: Saint Francis (IN) 67, Walsh 66
NJCAA
- Division I: Howard (TX) 85, Three Rivers 80 (OT)
- Division II: Lincoln (IL) 71, Cincinnati State 60
- Division III: Joliet 94, Rochester (MN) 82
UAAP Men's: Ateneo sweeps FEU in the best of three finals 2–0
NCAA (Philippines) Seniors': San Beda sweeps San Sebastian in the best of five finals 3–0

Women

NCAA
- Division I: Connecticut 53, Stanford 47
  - Most Outstanding Player: Maya Moore, Connecticut
- WNIT: California 73, Miami (FL) 61
- Women's Basketball Invitational: Appalachian State 79, Memphis 71
- Division II: Emporia State 65, Fort Lewis 53
- Division III: Washington University in St. Louis 65, Hope 59
NAIA
- NAIA Division I: Union (TN) 73, Azusa Pacific 65
- NAIA Division II: Northwestern (IA) 85, Shawnee State 66
NJCAA ^[1]
- Division I:Gulf Coast Community College 83, Jefferson College 61
- Division II:Kirkwood Community College 72, Patrick & Henry Community College 62
- Division III:Madison College 74, Onondaga Community College 55
UAAP Women's:

Prep

USA Today Boys Basketball Ranking #1:
USA Today Girls Basketball Ranking #1:
NCAA (Philippines) Juniors:
UAAP Juniors:

Awards and honors

Basketball Hall of Fame

Class of 2010:
- Players: Cynthia Cooper, Dennis Johnson, Gus Johnson, Karl Malone, Maciel Pereira, Scottie Pippen
- Coaches: Bob Hurley, Sr.
- Contributors: Jerry Buss
- Teams: 1960 USA Olympic Team, 1992 USA Olympic Men's Team (aka the "Dream Team")

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Class of 2010^[2]

FIBA Hall of Fame

Class of 2010

Players^[3]

Coaches^[4]

Referees^[5]

Jim Bain
Konstantinos Dimou

Contributors^[6]

Abdoulaye Seye Moreau
George Killian
Hans-Joachim Otto

Professional

Men
Women
- WNBA Most Valuable Player Award: Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm
- WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever
- WNBA Rookie of the Year Award: Tina Charles, Connecticut Sun
- WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award: DeWanna Bonner, Phoenix Mercury
- WNBA Most Improved Player Award: Leilani Mitchell, New York Liberty
- Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever
- WNBA Coach of the Year Award: Brian Agler, Seattle Storm
- WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award: Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm
- FIBA Europe Player of the Year Award: Announced in February 2011

Collegiate

Events

July 8 – LeBron James makes the decision to sign with the Miami Heat joining new signee Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. The decision was televised in an hour-long special on ESPN.
December 21 – The University of Connecticut women's team wins its 89th consecutive game, surpassing the NCAA Division I record previously held by the UCLA men's team of 1971–1974.
December 30 – UConn's record winning streak ends at 90 when the Huskies lose 71–59 to Stanford.

Movies

Just Wright – a romantic comedy film starring rappers Common and Queen Latifah that tells the story of a physical therapist who falls in love with a pro basketball player; film also features the NBA's Dwight Howard.
Once Brothers – a TV documentary, jointly produced by ESPN Films and NBA Entertainment, focusing on Serb Vlade Divac and Croat Dražen Petrović, former Yugoslavia national teammates, and how the Yugoslav wars permanently broke their friendship.

Deaths

January 8 — Bob Blackburn, American radio and TV play-by-play announcer (Seattle SuperSonics) (born 1924)
January 19 — Dan Fitzgerald, American college coach (Gonzaga) (born 1942)
January 28 — Bud Millikan, American college coach (Maryland) (born 1920)
February 3 — Dick McGuire, Hall of Fame player for the New York Knicks (born 1926)
February 10 — Carl Braun, player and coach for the New York Knicks (born 1927)
February 10 — Fred Schaus, American coach of West Virginia University and the Los Angeles Lakers (born 1925)
February 13 — Red Rocha, American BAA and NBA player (born 1925)
February 15 — Dana Kirk, former college coach at Memphis State University (born 1936)
June 4 — John Wooden, Hall of Fame player (Purdue, Indianapolis Kautskys) and coach (UCLA) (born 1910)
June 11 — Bus Whitehead, All-American college (Nebraska) and AAU (Phillips 66ers) player (born 1928)
June 13 — Tom Stith, All-American at St. Bonaventure University (born 1939)
June 19 — Manute Bol, Sudanese NBA player, tallest player in league history (born 1962)
July 8 — Melvin Turpin, All-American at Kentucky and NBA veteran (born 1960)
July 16 — Aleksandr Boloshev, Russian Olympic champion (born 1947)
July 19 — Lorenzen Wright, American NBA player (born 1975)
August 30 — Sharm Scheuerman, American college player and coach (Iowa) (born 1934)
October 14 — Larry Siegfried, won five NBA titles with the Boston Celtics and an NCAA title at Ohio State (born 1939)
October 25 — Roy Skinner, American college coach at Vanderbilt (born 1930)
October 28 — Marshall Hawkins, American NBL and NBA player (born 1924)
October 31 — Maurice Lucas, American ABA and NBA player. Won an NBA championship with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 (born 1952)
November 8 — Quintin Dailey, All-American at San Francisco and NBA player (born 1961)
November 13 — Red Curren, Canadian Olympic player (1952) (born 1925)
December 6 — Art Quimby, NCAA rebounding leader; a Connecticut Huskie of Honor (born 1933)
December 6 — Hank Raymonds, American college coach (Marquette) (born 1924)

References

↑ "NJCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK" (PDF). NJCAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-14. Retrieved 10 Oct 2014.
↑ "Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010". Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
↑ "Players' list". FIBA. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.
↑ "Coaches' list". FIBA. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.
↑ "Technical Officials' list". FIBA. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.
↑ "Contributors' list". FIBA. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.

External links

Media related to 2010 in basketball at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "NJCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK" (PDF). NJCAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-14. Retrieved 10 Oct 2014.

[Class_of_2010-2] "Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010". Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[FIBA_HOF_Players-3] "Players' list". FIBA. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.

[FIBA_HOF_Coaches-4] "Coaches' list". FIBA. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.

[FIBA_HOF_Referees-5] "Technical Officials' list". FIBA. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.

[FIBA_HOF_Contributors-6] "Contributors' list". FIBA. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]