2014 FIBA World Championship -- Just the Facts

OFFICIAL EVENT TITLE: 2014 FIBA World Championship

OFFICIAL TEAM NAME: 2014 USA Basketball Women's World Championship Team

EVENT SITE: Turkey

EVENT BASKETBALL VENUES: TBD

OFFICIAL EVENT INTERNET SITE: TBD

COMPETITION DATES: Sept. 27-Oct. 5, 2014

QUALIFIED NATIONS (16): Turkey, the host country; the United States, which earned its berth by virtue of claiming the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games and 14 additional teams to be determined through five FIBA zone qualifying tournaments in 2013 as follows: FIBA Africa (gold and silver medalists), FIBA Americas (top four finishing teams), FIBA Asia (gold, silver and bronze medalists), FIBA Europe (top five finishing teams) and FIBA Oceania (gold medalist).

DRAW TO DETERMINE PRELIMINARY ROUND GROUPS: TBD, 2014.

COUNTRIES QUALIFIED FOR THE 2014 FIBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP:

• Host Country: Turkey
  
• Olympic Champion: United States
  
• FIBA Africa:gold and silver medalists TBD (Mozambique, Sept 20-29, 2013)
  
• FIBA Americas: top four finishing teams TBD (Mexico, Sept. 21-28, 2013)
  
• FIBA Asia: top three finishing teams TBD (Thailand, Oct. 27-Nov. 3, 2013)
  
• FIBA Europe: top five finishing teams (France, June 15-30, 2013)
• FIBA Oceania: gold medalist (TBD, Aug. 14-16, 2013)

EVENT HISTORY: The FIBA World Championship for Women has been contested essentially every four years since 1953, and the United States captured the first two gold medals before the beginning of the Soviet domination of women’s basketball was kicked-off at the 1959 World Championship. The former USSR put together a string of five straight golds (1959, 1964, 1967, 1971, 1975), before the United States reclaimed gold in 1979. The Soviet Union in 1983 earned its final World Championship crown as the USA went on to capture four of the next five World Championships (1986, 1990, 1998, 2002). The only other nations to break into the gold medal column at this event are Australia in 2006, and Brazil, which defeated the USA in the 1994 semifinals and went on to take the top spot that year.

The USA owns a record eight gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals in FIBA World Championship play, while compiling an all-time 97-21 record at the event. In 2010, the most recent World Championship, the U.S. rolled through its competition by an average margin of victory of 35.1 points a game. In fact, the closest game was against then-defending world champion Australia, 83-75, in preliminary play.

USA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYERS OF NOTE: Jennifer Azzi (1990, 1994, 1998), Sue Bird (2002, 2006, 2010), Ruthie Bolton (1994, 1998), Tamika Catchings (2002, 2006, 2010), Cynthia Cooper (1986, 1990), Alberta Cox (1957, 1964), Denise Curry (1979, 1983), Anne Donovan (1983, 1986), Teresa Edwards (1986, 1990, 1994), Jennifer Gillom (1986, 2002), Rita Horky (1964, 1967), Lisa Leslie (1994, 1998, 2002-MVP), Nancy Lieberman (1975, 1979), Katrina McClain (1986, 1990, 1994), Ann Meyers Drysdale (1975, 1979), Cheryl Miller (1983, 1986), DeLisha Milton-Jones (1998, 2002, 2006), Cherri Rapp (1971, 1975), Norma Rowland (1957, 1967), Barbara Ann Sipes (1957, 1967), Katie Smith (1998, 2002, 2006), Dawn Staley (1994, 1998, 2002), Sheryl Swoopes (1994, 2002, 2006), Diana Taurasi (2006, 2010), Katherine Washington (1953, 1957), Natalie Williams (1998, 2002), Kara Wolters (1994, 1998), Lynette Woodard (1983, 1990).

USA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM HISTORY

• 2010 Recap
• 2006 Recap
• 2002 Recap
• 1998 Recap
• 1994 Recap
• 1990 Recap
• 1986 Recap
• 1983 Recap
• 1979 Recap
• 1975 Recap
• 1971 Recap
• 1967 Recap
• 1964 Recap
• 1957 Recap
• 1953 Recap
  
  
• All-Time USA Alphabetical Roster
• All-Time USA Roster by Affiliation
• All-Time Numerical Roster
• All-Time USA Coaching Staff
• All-Time Results and Standings
• USA Records