EuroBasket 1997
The 1997 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1997, was the 30th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 1998 FIBA World Championship, giving a berth to the top four (or five, depending on Greece reaching one of the top four places) teams in the final standings. It was held in Spain between 24 June and 6 July 1997. Sixteen national teams entered the event under the auspices of FIBA Europe, the sport's regional governing body. The cities of Badalona, Barcelona and Girona hosted the tournament. FR Yugoslavia won its seventh FIBA European title by defeating Italy with a 61–49 score in the final. Yugoslavia's Saša Đorđević was voted the tournament's MVP. Venues Qualification Squads Format The teams were split in four groups of four teams each where they played a round robin. The top three teams from each group advance to the second stage. In the second stage, two groups of six teams were formed and played a round robin. The results between teams that faced during the preliminary round are carried over. The top four teams from each group in the second stage advance to the knockout