FIBA World Cup 1998 was held in Athens, and Yugoslavia won a gold medal thanks to great games played by Dejan Bodiroga.
After two championships played on American soil, 1998 was the year when Mundobasket finally returned to the Old Continent. After a long bidding process about who could host the best teams on the planet, that opportunity went to Greece.
As we pointed out, the competition system did not change, and only 16 national teams qualified for Mundobasket again. Among them were the host Greece, the Olympic champion United States, and the best five selections from Europe – Yugoslavia, Italy, Russia, Spain and Lithuania.
The four best national teams from America – Puerto Rico, Brazil, Argentina and Canada – also found their place. The two teams from Asia were South Korea and Japan, while the African continent was represented by Senegal and Nigeria. Australia defended the honor of Oceania.
The principle was quite clear, four national teams were divided into four groups. In 1998, for the first time, a system where the third-placed teams advanced to the next stage was introduced.
The NBA lockout affected the United States
In 1994, the United States came to the championship with the best team, called “Dream team II”. Four years later, the situation was significantly different than at the last Mundobasket. The lockout prevented NBA basketball players from reuniting with the national team, and USA officials had to assemble the team just three weeks before preparations for the tournament began.
The team was full of inexperienced players, and among them only Trajan Langdon and Brad Miller had some previous experience with youth categories. Miller is the only player from that roster who was part of the United States in 2006 at Mundobasket.
Despite the fact that their performance at the championship was not bad at all (they recorded only one defeat in the first stage), they were eliminated in the semi-finals by Russia.
Also, a big result for the United States was the fact that the boys, almost without any experience in senior basketball, managed to return from Athens to their native country with a medal around their necks. Even though it was a bronze earned against Greece, for many members of the team, this determined the further course of their careers.
Yugoslavia and the hunt for gold under a new name
On the other hand, someone who arrived in Greece with great ambitions was Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Right from the start, it was clear that the “Blues” are extremely dominant in the championship, as they finished the first round with 3-0 record, defeating Puerto Rico and Japan, plus winning against Russia overtime.
In the second round, there was a showdown against Greece, Italy and Canada, and the team led by the phenomenal Dejan Bodiroga suffered the only defeat in the tournament against the “Azzurri”. In the second round, Canada and host Greece were routinely defeated. It was a one-way ticket to the quarter-finals, where the rival was Argentina. The “Blues” managed to break them quite easily and thus came one step closer to a medal.
There they were met by a rival they already knew well, the Greek national team. In one of the best games of the tournament, which can be placed side by side with the second semi-final, Yugoslavia managed to put a medal in its “pocket” by beating Greece.
The best game of the tournament: Yugoslavia – Russia
Despite the fact that Yugoslavia played a great tournament, Russia, led by the legend of Soviet basketball on the bench (Sergei Belov), seemed like a challenging opponent in the fight for the world throne. From the very beginning, the game was close, and Sergei Panov was the one who held the ball with the Russians leading by 56:55 a minute before the end of the match.
However, Aleksandar Djordjevic managed to force a foul and in the very finish the “Blues” returned to the lead. Russia had the possession to take the lead again, but Zeljko Rebraca blocked Mikhail Mikhailov and managed to become Yugoslavia’s hero. He scored the points for +4, just 20 seconds before the end. There was no more drama!
FR Yugoslavia managed to become world champion for the first time under that name, and Rebraca was an absolute hero with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Dejan Bodiroga and Aleksandar Djordjevic were the leaders who maintained balance during the entire tournament and made a true combination of youth and experience. It will turn out that it was just an indication of everything that will happen later, since four years later, in Indianapolis, Yugoslavia managed to defend the world throne.
MVP Dejan Bodiroga and 45 minutes on the floor?!
Dejan Bodiroga showed significant qualities of a leader at the Eurobasket played a year earlier. Yugoslavia also took home the gold medal then, and “Bodi Bond” lived up to expectations at the next big competition.
When it came to the FIBA World Cup 1998, Bodiroga deservedly won the award for the tournament’s most valuable player. He averaged 14.8 points with five rebounds and 2.2 assists. He shot a fantastic 57% from the field.
He played an incredible game and the best match of the World Cup in the semi-final against Greece. In addition to playing 45 MINUTES (not leaving the floor for a single moment, including overtime), Bodiroga scored 31 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists. During the fight for gold, due to five personal fouls, he left the COURT two minutes before the end, but Yugoslavia managed to win the brightest medal.
Alberto Herreros for the historical books of Spain
Spanish Alberto Herreros was the best scorer of the competition. He averaged 17.9 points. This greatly helped Spain to reach a high fifth position in the final standings.
He continued to play for the national team until 2002, and at the Eurobasket played right after this world championship, he won the award for the best scorer of the competition. It is worth mentioning that Herreros is the best scorer in the history of Endesa League.
All-Tournament Team
The already mentioned Alberto Herreros as the best scorer made his way to the All-Tournament Team. FIBA World Cup 1998 was marked by Dejan Bodiroga, and the remaining three spots were filled by Zeljko Rebraca, Vasili Karasev and the Italian Gregor Fucka.
Also, the championship in Greece was the last in the national team jersey of the legendary Aleksandar Djordjevic.