The 1959 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1959, was the eleventh FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Turkey, began on 21 May 1959 and concluded with the final on 31 May 1959. Seventeen national teams affiliated with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) entered the competition. Mithat Paşa Stadium, Istanbul was the location of the event.
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Turkey |
| City | Istanbul |
| Dates | 21–31 May |
| Teams | 17 |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Soviet Union (5th title) |
| Runners-up |  Czechoslovakia |
| Third place |  France |
| Fourth place |  Hungary |
| Tournament statistics | |
| MVP | Viktor Zubkov |
| Top scorer |  Radivoj Korać (28.1 points per game) |
The Soviet Union claimed their fifth EuroBasket title, while Czechoslovakia captured the silver, and France the bronze.
Results
First round
In the preliminary round, the 17 teams were split up into four groups. One of the groups had five teams, with the other three having four each. The top two teams in each group advanced to the final round, while the other nine teams were relegated to classification play.
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czechoslovakia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 260 | 160 | +100 | 6 |
 Poland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 184 | 197 | −13 | 5 |
 Spain | 3 | 1 | 2 | 177 | 189 | −12 | 4 |
 Finland | 3 | 0 | 3 | 147 | 222 | −75 | 3 |
21 May 1959 11:30 |
| Finland | 57–72 | Poland |
| Scoring by half: 29–39, 28–33 | ||
| Pts: Lampen (12) | Pts: Nartowski (13) | |
22 May 1959 18:00 |
| Czechoslovakia | 85–62 | Spain |
| Scoring by half: 40–27, 45–35 | ||
| Pts: Konvicka (19) | Pts: Rodriguez (15) | |
23 May 1959 18:00 |
| Spain | 57–43 | Finland |
| Scoring by half: 27–22, 30–21 | ||
| Pts: Rodriguez (19) | Pts: Lampen (16) | |
24 May 1959 18:00 |
| Czechoslovakia | 82–51 | Poland |
| Scoring by half: 42–15, 40–36 | ||
| Pts: Baumruk (22) | Pts: Wichowski (9) | |
25 May 1959 10:00 |
| Czechoslovakia | 93–47 | Finland |
| Scoring by half: 49–23, 44–24 | ||
| Pts: Konvicka (15) | Pts: Lampen (20) | |
25 May 1959 16:30 |
| Poland | 61–58 (OT) | Spain |
| Scoring by half: 28–28, 27–27 Overtime: 6–3 | ||
| Pts: Pstrokonski (16) | Pts: Martinez (22) | |
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bulgaria | 3 | 2 | 1 | 219 | 208 | +11 | 5 |
 Belgium | 3 | 2 | 1 | 196 | 187 | −9 | 5 |
| Yugoslavia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 202 | 202 | 0 | 5 |
 Turkey | 3 | 0 | 3 | 173 | 193 | −20 | 3 |
22 May 1959 19:30 |
| Bulgaria | 80–72 | Yugoslavia |
| Scoring by half: 42–35, 38–37 | ||
| Pts: Radev (18) | Pts: Kristancic (22) | |
24 May 1959 16:30 |
| Bulgaria | 77–79 | Belgium |
| Scoring by half: 39–46, 38–33 | ||
| Pts: Atanasov (32) | Pts: Steveniers (21) | |
25 May 1959 18:00 |
| Yugoslavia | 60–56 | Belgium |
| Scoring by half: 34–21, 26–35 | ||
| Pts: Korac (26pts) | Pts: Steveniers (20pts) | |
Group C
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union | 4 | 4 | 0 | 316 | 173 | +143 | 8 |
| France | 4 | 3 | 1 | 252 | 228 | +24 | 7 |
 Italy | 4 | 2 | 2 | 250 | 233 | +17 | 6 |
 Israel | 4 | 1 | 3 | 145 | 216 | −60 | 5 |
 East Germany | 4 | 0 | 4 | 133 | 224 | −124 | 4 |
21 May 1959 20:30 |
| Soviet Union | 80–48 | France |
| Scoring by half: 42–23, 38–25 | ||
| Pts: Zubkov (15) | Pts: Baillet (7) | |
22 May 1959 10:00 |
| East Germany | 37–87 | Soviet Union |
| Scoring by half: 20–43, 17–44 | ||
| Pts: Kulik (9) | Pts: Botchkarev (15) | |
23 May 1959 10:00 |
| Israel | 79–67 | East Germany |
| Scoring by half: 44–37, 35–30 | ||
| Pts: Hemmo (23) | Pts: Kulik (18) | |
23 May 1959 19:30 |
| France | 50–47 | Italy |
| Scoring by half: 22–24, 28–23 | ||
| Pts: Lefebvre (12) | Pts: Vianello (12) | |
24 May 1959 11:30 |
| Italy | 85–65 | East Germany |
| Scoring by half: 37–33, 48–32 | ||
| Pts: Gavagnin (20) | Pts: Kulik (21) | |
24 May 1959 19:30 |
| Soviet Union | 90–44 | Israel |
| Scoring by half: 44–25, 46–19 | ||
| Pts: Botchkarev (17) | Pts: Kastan (12) | |
25 May 1959 11:30 |
| France | 77–35 | East Germany |
| Scoring by half: 39–16, 38–19 | ||
| Pts: Dorigo (13) | Pts: Flau (11) | |
25 May 1959 21:00 |
| Soviet Union | 59–44 | Italy |
| Scoring by half: 26–15, 33–29 | ||
| Pts: Valdmanis (17pts) | Pts: Calebotta (17pts) | |
Group D
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Romania | 3 | 3 | 0 | 210 | 149 | +61 | 6 |
| Hungary | 3 | 2 | 1 | 254 | 153 | +101 | 5 |
 Iran | 3 | 1 | 2 | 145 | 216 | −71 | 4 |
 Austria | 3 | 0 | 3 | 133 | 224 | −91 | 3 |
21 May 1959 10:00 |
| Hungary | 109–48 | Iran |
| Scoring by half: 50–23, 59–25 | ||
| Pts: Banhegyi (17) | Pts: Agakuzik (13) | |
23 May 1959 11:30 |
| Austria | 43–92 | Hungary |
| Scoring by half: 23–36, 20–56 | ||
| Pts: Havlicek (9) | Pts: Gabanyi (14) | |
25 May 1959 19:30 |
| Romania | 62–53 | Hungary |
| Scoring by half: 28–25, 34–28 | ||
| Pts: Novacek (24) | Pts: Bencze (17) | |
Classification round 1
The first classification round was played in three round-robin groups. The first place from each group advanced to the second round to define the 9th–11th places, the second from each group, the 12th–14th and the remaining teams, the 14–17th places in the final standings.
Group 1
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yugoslavia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 175 | 119 | +119 | 4 |
| East Germany | 2 | 1 | 1 | 122 | 145 | −23 | 3 |
| Austria | 2 | 0 | 2 | 108 | 141 | −71 | 2 |
26 May 1959 20:00 |
| Yugoslavia | 80–58 | Austria |
| Scoring by half: 32–29, 48–29 | ||
| Pts: Korac (32) | Pts: Privoznik (24) | |
27 May 1959 8:30 |
| East Germany | 61–95 | Yugoslavia |
| Scoring by half: 25–43, 36–52 | ||
| Pts: Flau (14) | Pts: Korac (21) | |
28 May 1959 8:30 |
| East Germany | 61–50 | Austria |
| Scoring by half: 33–25, 28–25 | ||
| Pts: Flau (18) | Pts: Privoznik (15) | |
Group 2
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 138 | 100 | +38 | 4 |
| Turkey | 2 | 1 | 1 | 108 | 123 | −15 | 3 |
| Spain | 2 | 0 | 2 | 95 | 118 | −23 | 2 |
26 May 1959 19:30 |
| Turkey | 53–50 | Spain |
| Scoring by half: 25–21, 28–29 | ||
| Pts: Buyukaycan (25) | Pts: Martinez (12) | |
27 May 1959 17:30 |
| Turkey | 55–73 | Italy |
| Scoring by half: 25–39, 30–34 | ||
| Pts: Buyukaycan (10) | Pts: Alesini (22) | |
Group 3
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Israel | 2 | 2 | 0 | 124 | 98 | +26 | 4 |
| Finland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 124 | 93 | +31 | 3 |
| Iran | 2 | 0 | 2 | 80 | 137 | −57 | 2 |
Classification round 2
Group 1 (9th–11th Place)
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yugoslavia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 150 | 130 | +20 | 4 |
| Italy | 2 | 1 | 1 | 151 | 134 | +17 | 3 |
| Israel | 2 | 0 | 2 | 110 | 147 | −37 | 2 |
29 May 1959 11:30 |
| Italy | 76–78 | Yugoslavia |
| Scoring by half: 29–36, 47–42 | ||
| Pts: Calebotta (20) | Pts: Korac (32) | |
Group 2 (12th–14th Place)
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 2 | 2 | 0 | 116 | 110 | +6 | 4 |
| Finland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 117 | 111 | +6 | 3 |
| East Germany | 2 | 0 | 2 | 102 | 114 | +12 | 2 |
29 May 1959 16:00 |
| Turkey | 54–53 | East Germany |
| Scoring by half: 31–29, 23–24 | ||
| Pts: Buyukaycan (16) | Pts: Flau (14) | |
30 May 1959 10:00 |
| East Germany | 49–60 | Finland |
| Scoring by half: 23–34, 26–26 | ||
| Pts: Flau (17) | Pts: Lampen (31) | |
Group 3 (15th–17th Place)
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2 | 2 | 0 | 135 | 75 | +60 | 4 |
| Austria | 2 | 1 | 1 | 93 | 113 | −20 | 3 |
| Iran | 2 | 0 | 2 | 91 | 131 | −40 | 2 |
Semi-final round
The Semi-Final round consisted of two round-robin groups, where the top two from each one advanced to the Final Round to decide the first four places in the final standings, and the remaining teams, the 5th–8th places.
Group 1
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 0 | 213 | 179 | +34 | 6 |
| Hungary | 3 | 2 | 1 | 190 | 177 | +13 | 5 |
| Bulgaria | 3 | 1 | 2 | 181 | 190 | −9 | 4 |
| Poland | 3 | 0 | 3 | 172 | 210 | −38 | 3 |
27 May 1959 16:00 |
| Soviet Union | 78–59 | Poland |
| Scoring by half: 28–23, 50–36 | ||
| Pts: Krouminch (18) | Pts: Wichowski (14) | |
27 May 1959 20:30 |
| Bulgaria | 52–67 | Hungary |
| Scoring by half: 22–33, 30–34 | ||
| Pts: Rashkov (11) | Pts: Simon (24) | |
28 May 1959 17:30 |
| Hungary | 63–56 | Poland |
| Scoring by half: 29–32, 34–24 | ||
| Pts: Gabanyi (22) | Pts: Wichowski (24) | |
28 May 1959 20:30 |
| Soviet Union | 66–60 | Bulgaria |
| Scoring by half: 34–38, 32–22 | ||
| Pts: Krouminch (28) | Pts: Mirchev (22) | |
29 May 1959 17:30 |
| Bulgaria | 69–57 | Poland |
| Scoring by half: 33–29, 36–28 | ||
| Pts: Ilov (20) | Pts: Wichowski (14) | |
29 May 1959 20:30 |
| Hungary | 60–69 | Soviet Union |
| Scoring by half: 27–36, 33–33 | ||
| Pts: Banhegyi (11) | Pts: Zubkov (22) | |
Group 2
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3 | 3 | 0 | 179 | 164 | +15 | 6 |
| Czechoslovakia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 191 | 160 | +31 | 5 |
| Belgium | 3 | 1 | 2 | 191 | 218 | −27 | 4 |
| Romania | 3 | 0 | 3 | 187 | 206 | −19 | 3 |
27 May 1959 10:00 |
| Czechoslovakia | 76–49 | Belgium |
| Scoring by half: 45–31, 31–18 | ||
| Pts: Tetiva (23) | Pts: Loridon (14) | |
28 May 1959 16:00 |
| Belgium | 63–66 | France |
| Scoring by half: 23–36, 40–30 | ||
| Pts: Steveniers (22) | Pts: Dorigo (13) | |
28 May 1959 19:00 |
| Romania | 59–66 | Czechoslovakia |
| Scoring by half: 33–31, 26–35 | ||
| Pts: Novacek (20) | Pts: Tetiva (19) | |
29 May 1959 10:00 |
| Romania | 76–79 () | Belgium |
| Scoring by half: 30–39, 40–31 Overtime: 6–9 | ||
| Pts: Nedef (21) | Pts: Eygel (18) | |
29 May 1959 19:00 |
| France | 52–49 | Czechoslovakia |
| Scoring by half: 20–26, 32–23 | ||
| Pts: Dorigo (20) | Pts: Lukasik (11) | |
Final round
- Two groups of four teams determined the 1st–8th places. Results from matches between teams that shared a group in Semi-Final round were carried over to this round (i.e. Soviet Union vs. Hungary, France vs. Czechoslovakia, etc.).
Group 1 (1st–4th Place)
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 0 | 240 | 204 | +36 | 6 |
| Czechoslovakia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 192 | 196 | −4 | 4 |
| France | 3 | 1 | 2 | 184 | 199 | −15 | 4 |
| Hungary | 3 | 1 | 2 | 183 | 200 | −17 | 4 |
30 May 1959 19:00 |
| France | 60–62 | Hungary |
| Scoring by half: 24–36, 36–26 | ||
| Pts: Mayeur (21) | Pts: Banhegyi (19) | |
30 May 1959 20:30 |
| Soviet Union | 83–72 | Czechoslovakia |
| Scoring by half: 40–38, 43–34 | ||
| Pts: Valdmanis (19) | Pts: Baumruk (19) | |
31 May 1959 18:00 |
| Hungary | 61–71 | Czechoslovakia |
| Scoring by half: 21–32, 40–39 | ||
| Pts: Bencze (10) | Pts: Baumruk (23) | |
31 May 1959 19:45 |
| Soviet Union | 88–72 |  France |
| Scoring by half: 37–30, 51–42 | ||
| Pts: Krouminch (32) | Pts: Lefebvre (16) | |
Group 2 (5th–8th Place)
| Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 3 | 3 | 0 | 194 | 158 | +36 | 6 |
| Poland | 3 | 1 | 2 | 198 | 203 | −5 | 5 |
| Belgium | 3 | 1 | 2 | 196 | 222 | −26 | 4 |
| Romania | 3 | 1 | 2 | 194 | 199 | −5 | 3 |
30 May 1959 16:00 |
| Bulgaria | 53–52 | Romania |
| Scoring by half: 24–28, 29–24 | ||
| Pts: Mirchev (10) | Pts: Novacek (19) | |
30 May 1959 17:30 |
| Poland | 74–68 | Belgium |
| Scoring by half: 37–31, 37–37 | ||
| Pts: Nartowski (14) | Pts: Steveniers (20) | |
| 1959 FIBA EuroBasket champions |
|---|
 Soviet Union 5th title |
Final standings
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
 | Soviet Union |
 | Czechoslovakia |
 | France |
| 4. | Hungary |
| 5. | Bulgaria |
| 6. | Poland |
| 7. | Belgium |
| 8. | Romania |
| 9. | Yugoslavia |
| 10. | Italy |
| 11. | Israel |
| 12. | Turkey |
| 13. | Finland |
| 14. | East Germany |
| 15. | Spain |
| 16. | Austria |
| 17. | Iran |
Team rosters
1. Soviet Union: Jānis Krūmiņš, Gennadi Volnov, Maigonis Valdmanis, Valdis Muižnieks, Viktor Zubkov, Arkady Bochkarov, Yuri Korneev, Guram Minashvili, Mikhail Semyonov, Aleksandr Petrov, Vladimir Torban, Mikhail Studenetski (Coach: Stepan Spandaryan)
2. Czechoslovakia: Jiří Baumruk, František Konvička, Bohumil Tomášek, Miroslav Škeřík, Jaroslav Šíp, Boris Lukášik, Jaroslav Křivý, Dušan Lukášik, Zdeněk Rylich, Jiří Šťastný, Jaroslav Tetiva, Bohuslav Rylich (Coach: Gustáv Herrmann)
3. France: Henri Grange, Robert Monclar, Maxime Dorigo, Philippe Baillet, Christian Baltzer, Andre Chavet, Jerome Christ, Jean-Claude Lefebvre, Bernard Mayeur, Michel Rat, Lucien Sedat, Henri Villecourt (Coach: Robert Busnel)
4. Hungary: János Greminger, Tibor Zsíros, László Bánhegyi, Tibor Czinkán, László Gabányi, János Simon, János Bencze, Zoltán Judik, Ottó Temesvári, Miklós Boháty, Árpád Glatz, Merényi (Coach: János Páder)
9. Yugoslavia: Miodrag Nikolić, Marjan Kandus, Branko Radović, Slobodan Gordić, Igor Jelnikar, Matja Dermastija, Milutin Minja, Ivo Daneu, Nemanja Đurić, Radivoj Korać, Radovan Radović, Boris Kristančič (Coach: Aleksandar Nikolić)