2011 in basketball

Last updated May 06, 2025

The following are the basketball events of the year 2011 throughout the world.

Tournaments

Men's tournaments

Olympic qualifiers

Women's tournaments

Olympic qualifiers

2011 FIBA Africa Championship for Women – Bamako, Mali
- Angola
- Senegal
- Mali
- 4th Nigeria
2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Women – Neiva, Colombia.
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Canada
- 4th Cuba
2011 FIBA Asia Championship for Women – Ōmura, Nagasaki, Japan
- China
- South Korea
- Japan
- 4th Chinese Taipei
EuroBasket Women 2011 – Poland
- Russia
- Turkey
- France
- 4th Czech Republic
2011 FIBA Oceania Championship for Women – Australia
- Australia
- New Zealand

Youth tournaments

Club championships

Transnational championships

NBA
- Season:
  - Division champions: Boston Celtics (Atlantic), Chicago Bulls (Central), Miami Heat (Southeast), Oklahoma City Thunder (Northwest), Los Angeles Lakers (Pacific), San Antonio Spurs (Southwest)
  - Best regular-season record: Chicago Bulls (62–20)
  - Eastern Conference: Miami Heat
  - Western Conference: Dallas Mavericks
- Finals: The Mavericks win their first NBA title, defeating the Heat 4–2 in the best-of-7 series. The Mavs' Dirk Nowitzki is named Finals MVP.
National Basketball League, 2010–11 season:
- Premiers: New Zealand Breakers
- Champions: The Breakers defeat the Cairns Taipans 2–1 in the best-of-three Grand Final, becoming the first New Zealand team to win an Australian national league title in any sport.
Adriatic League, 2010–11 season: Partizan Belgrade defeat Union Olimpija Ljubljana 77–74 in the one-off final.
ASEAN Basketball League, 2010–11 season: Chang Thailand Slammers defeat Philippine Patriots 2–0 in the best-of-three finals.
Baltic League: Žalgiris Kaunas defeat VEF Riga 75–67 in the one-off final.
VTB United League, 2010–11 season: BC Khimki defeat CSKA Moscow 66–64 in the one-off final.

National championships

Men:

Liga Nacional de Básquet, 2010–11 season: Guangdong Southern Tigers
- Regular season: Obras Sanitarias
- Playoffs: Peñarol defeat Atenas 4–1 in the best-of-7 final.
Basketball League Belgium: Spirou Charleroi sweep Okapi Aalstar 3–0 in the best-of-5 finals.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Championship:
Novo Basquete Brasil: UniCEUB/BRB Brasília defeat Franca 3–1 in the best-of-5 finals.
Bulgarian National League: Lukoil Academic complete a 36–0 season in domestic play with a 3–0 sweep of Levski Sofia in the best-of-5 finals.
Chinese Basketball Association: 2010–11 season: Guangdong Southern Tigers defeat Xinjiang Flying Tigers 4–2 in the best-of-7 finals.
Croatian League: KK Zagreb sweep Cedevita Zagreb 3–0 in the best-of-5 finals.
Czech League: ČEZ Nymburk defeat Prostějov 4–2 in the best-of-7 finals.
Dutch Basketball League: ZZ Leiden defeat GasTerra Flames 4–3 in the best-of-7 finals.
Estonian League, 2010–11: Kalev/Cramo sweep TÜ/Rock 4–0 in the best-of-7 final.
French Pro A League: Nancy defeat Cholet 76–74 in the one-off final.
German Bundesliga, 2010–11 season: Brose Baskets defeat ALBA Berlin 3–2 in the best-of-5 finals.
Greek League, 2010–11 season: Panathinaikos defeat Olympiacos 3–1 in the best-of-5 finals. Before the finals, Olympiacos had gone 36–0 in domestic competition this season.
Iranian Super League, 2010–11 season:
Israeli Super League, 2010–11 season: Maccabi Tel Aviv defeat Hapoel Gilboa Galil 91–64 in the one-off final.
Italian Serie A, 2010–11 season: Montepaschi Siena defeat Bennet Cantù 4–1 in the best-of-7 finals.
Latvian League: VEF Riga defeat Ventspils 4–3 in the best-of-7 finals.
Lithuanian LKL: Žalgiris defeat Lietuvos Rytas 4–1 in the best-of-7 finals.
Montenegro League:
Philippine Basketball Association, 2010–11 season:
- Philippine Cup: The Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters defeat the San Miguel Beermen 4–2 in the best-of-7 finals.
- Commissioner's Cup: The Texters win their second trophy of the season, defeating the Barangay Ginebra Kings 4–2 in the best-of-7 finals.
- Governors Cup: The Petron Blaze Boosters deny the Texters a Grand Slam, defeating them 4–3 in the best-of-7 finals.
Polish League: Asseco Prokom Gdynia defeat Turów Zgorzelec 4–3 in the best-of-7 finals.
Russian PBL: CSKA Moscow defeat Khimki 3–1 in the best-of-5 finals.
League of Serbia, 2010–11 season: Partizan sweep Hemofarm 3–0 in the best-of-5 finals.
Slovenian League:
Spanish ACB:
- Season: Regal FC Barcelona
- Playoffs: Barça sweep Bizkaia Bilbao 3–0 in the best-of-5 finals.
Turkish Basketball League: Fenerbahçe Ülker defeat Galatasaray Café Crown 4–2 in the best-of-7 finals.
Ukrainian SuperLeague: Budivelnyk defeat Donetsk 4–3 in the best-of-7 finals.
British Basketball League, 2010–11:
- Season: Mersey Tigers
- Playoffs: The Tigers defeat the Sheffield Sharks 79–74 in the one-off final.
Super Basketball League:Taiwan Beer defeat Dacin Tigers 4–1 in the best-of-7 finals.

Women:

WNBA
- Season:
  - Eastern Conference: Indiana Fever
  - Western Conference: Minnesota Lynx
- Finals: The Lynx win their first WNBA title, sweeping the Fever 3–0 in the best-of-5 series. The Lynx' Seimone Augustus is named Finals MVP.

College

Men

NCAA
- Division I: Connecticut 53, Butler 41
  - Most Outstanding Player: Kemba Walker, Connecticut
- National Invitation Tournament: Wichita State 66, Alabama 57
- College Basketball Invitational: Oregon defeated Creighton 2–1 in the best-of-3 final.
- CollegeInsider.com Tournament: Santa Clara 76, Iona 69
- Division II: Bellarmine 71, BYU–Hawaiʻi 68
- Division III: St. Thomas (MN) 78, Wooster 54
NAIA
- NAIA Division I: Pikeville 83, Mountain State 76 (OT)
- NAIA Division II: Cornerstone 80, Saint Francis (IN) 71
NJCAA
UAAP Men's: Ateneo defeated FEU 2–0 in the best-of-3 finals
NCAA (Philippines) Seniors': San Beda defeated San Sebastian 2–0 in the best-of-3 finals

Women

NCAA
- Division I: Texas A&M 76, Notre Dame 70
  - Most Outstanding Player: Danielle Adams, Texas A&M
- WNIT: Toledo 76, USC 68
- Women's Basketball Invitational: UAB 68, Cal State Bakersfield 60
- Division II: Clayton State 69, Michigan Tech 50
- Division III: Amherst 64, Washington (MO) 55
NAIA
- NAIA Division I:
- NAIA Division II:
NJCAA ^[1]
UAAP Women's: FEU defeated Adamson Falcons 2–1 in the best-of-3 finals

Prep

USA Today Boys Basketball Ranking #1: St. Anthony High School (New Jersey)
USA Today Girls Basketball Ranking #1:
NCAA (Philippines) Juniors: San Beda defeated LSGH 2–1 in the best-of-5 finals, with San Beda having a 1–0 advantage
UAAP Juniors: NU defeated FEU-FERN 2–1 in the best-of-3 finals

Awards and honors

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Class of 2011:^[2]
- Players: Teresa Edwards, Artis Gilmore, Chris Mullin, Dennis Rodman, Arvydas Sabonis, Reece "Goose" Tatum
- Coaches: Herb Magee, Tara VanDerveer, Tex Winter
- Contributors: Tom "Satch" Sanders

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Class of 2011^[3]

Professional

Collegiate

Events

On June 1, Shaquille O'Neal announced his retirement from basketball after 19 seasons and four world championships. O'Neal made the announcement on his Twitter page.^[4]
On July 1, the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and its players union expires, and the league immediately imposes a lockout of its players.
On July 20, Yao Ming officially announced his retirement from basketball after nine seasons and a series of foot and ankle injuries. Yao has been credited with fueling greatly increased interest in the NBA in his home country of China since his selection as the #1 overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft.^[5]
On September 26, New Jersey Nets minority owner Jay-Z announced that the team would change its name to the Brooklyn Nets when it moves to its new arena for the 2012–13 season.^[6]

Movies

The Fab Five – an ESPN Films documentary about the 1990s Michigan Wolverines players known collectively as the Fab Five: Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson
Off the Rez– a TLC documentary chronicling the high school career of current University of Louisville women's player Shoni Schimmel, a Native American who grew up on an Oregon reservation
Runnin' Rebels of UNLV– a Home Box Office documentary chronicling the UNLV men's team's success in the late 1980s through early 1990s
Salaam Dunk
Unguarded– an ESPN Films documentary about former NBA player Chris Herren, including his struggle with and ongoing recovery from drug addiction

Deaths

January 12 — Howard Engleman, All-American player and interim head coach for the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team (born 1919)
January 16 — Guðmundur Þorsteinsson, Icelandic national team player and coach (born 1942)
February 2 — Roger Strickland, NBA player (Baltimore Bullets) (born 1940)
February 4 — Lee Winfield, NBA player (Seattle SuperSonics, Buffalo Braves, Kansas City Kings) (born 1947)
February 6 — Cesare Rubini, Italian coach and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (born 1923)
February 20 — Troy Jackson, better known by his nickname "Escalade", streetball player for the AND1 Mixtape Tour (born 1976)
March 4 — Ed Manning, NBA and ABA player and father of 1988 #1 overall NBA Draft pick Danny Manning (born 1943)
March 7 — Rudy Salud, former commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association (born 1938)
March 22 — Edgar Lacey, ABA player (Los Angeles Stars) and national champion at UCLA (born 1944)
April 2 — Larry Finch, college coach and player (Memphis) (born 1951)
April 10 — Bob Shaw, American NBL player (born 1921)
April 14 — Joe Dan Gold, college player and coach (Mississippi State) (born 1942)
April 15 — Beryl Shipley, college coach (Southwestern Louisiana) (born 1926)
May 11 — Robert Traylor, NBL and NBA player (Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets) (born 1977)
May 27 — Margo Dydek, Polish WNBA player (Utah Starzz, San Antonio Silver Stars, Connecticut Sun, Los Angeles Sparks) (born 1974)
June 6 — Bill Closs, NBA player (Philadelphia Warriors, Fort Wayne Pistons) (born 1922)
June 9 — Mike Mitchell, NBA player (Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs) (born 1956)
June 15 — Marshall Rogers, NBA player (Golden State Warriors) and the 1976 NCAA Division I season scoring leader (born 1953)
June 27 — Lorenzo Charles, NBA player (Atlanta Hawks) famous for hitting the game-winning shot of the 1983 NCAA tournament for NC State (born 1963)
July 1 — Bob McCann, NBA player (five teams) (born 1964)
July 5 — Neil Dougherty, college coach (TCU) (born 1961)
July 5 — Armen Gilliam, NBA player (six teams) (born 1964)
July 9 — Don Ackerman, NBA player (New York Knicks) (born 1930)
July 16 — Joe McNamee, NBA player (Rochester Royals, Baltimore Bullets) (born 1926)
July 30 — Bob Peterson, NBA player (Baltimore Bullets, Milwaukee Hawks, New York Knicks) (born 1932)
August 3 — Ray Patterson, NBA executive (Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets)
August 4 — Sherman White, college player at Long Island famous for being indicted in point shaving scandal (born 1928)
August 8 — Mike Barrett, ABA player and Olympic gold medalist in 1968 (born 1943)
August 18 — Scotty Robertson, NBA and college coach (born 1930)
August 27 — Bob Hubbard, American NBL and BAA player (born 1922)
August 31 — Cal Christensen, NBA player (Milwaukee Hawks, Cincinnati Royals) (born 1927)
August 31 — Jack Stephens, NBA player (St. Louis Hawks) (born 1933)
September 14 — Lewis Brown, NBA player (Washington Bullets) (born 1955)
September 16 — Dave Gavitt, American basketball coach (Providence College) and founder of the Big East Conference; member of the Naismith Hall as a contributor (born 1937)
September 17 — Fedon Matheou, Greek basketball player and coach (born 1924)
September 21 — Mickey Rottner, American NBL (Sheboygan Red Skins) and BAA (Chicago Stags) player (born 1919)
September 22 — John H. Dick, starter on first NCAA championship team (1939 Oregon Ducks) (born 1918)
September 30 — Peter Gent, standout forward/center for Michigan State from 1962 to 1964 and author of North Dallas Forty (born 1942)
October 3 — Jim Neal, NBA player (Syracuse Nationals) (born 1930)
October 9 — Antonis Christeas, Greek basketball player (Panellinios, AEK Athens) (born 1937)
October 9 — Chauncey Hardy, 23-year-old American playing professionally in Romania (born 1988)
October 12 — Lewis Mills, college coach (Richmond) and athletic director
November 2 — Ilmar Kullam, Olympic silver medalist for the Soviet Union in 1952 (born 1922)
November 8 — Ed Macauley, Hall of Fame player (St. Louis Hawks) (born 1928)
November 9 — Bob Carney, NBA player (Minneapolis Lakers) (born 1932)
November 17 — Kurt Budke, women's college basketball coach (Oklahoma State) (born 1961)
November 18 — Walt Hazzard, NBA player and college coach (UCLA) (born 1942)
November 22 — Alberto Reynoso, Philippine Basketball Association player (born 1940)
November 25 — Hoddy Mahon, College basketball coach (Seton Hall)
November 30 — George McCarty, College coach (New Mexico State, UTEP) (born 1915)
December 1 — Dick Wehr, BAA player (Indianapolis Jets) and college coach (Georgia State) (born 1925)

References

↑ "NJCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK" (PDF). NJCAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-14. Retrieved 10 Oct 2014.
↑ "Hall of Famers". Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.
↑ "Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2011". Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
↑ "Shaq announces his retirement after 19 seasons". June 2011.
↑ Yao Ming retirement marks end of an era
↑ "Jay-Z: Team to be Brooklyn Nets". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 26, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.

External links

Media related to 2011 in basketball at Wikimedia Commons

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

[Inductees-2] "Hall of Famers". Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved 12 Oct 2014.

[Class_of_2011-3] "Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2011". Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[4] "Shaq announces his retirement after 19 seasons". June 2011.

[5] Yao Ming retirement marks end of an era

[6] "Jay-Z: Team to be Brooklyn Nets". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 26, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.

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2011 in basketball

Contents

Tournaments

Men's tournaments

Olympic qualifiers

Women's tournaments

Olympic qualifiers

Youth tournaments

Club championships

Continental championships

Transnational championships

National championships

College

Prep

Awards and honors

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Professional

Collegiate

Events

Movies

Deaths

See also

References

External links