The Soviet Union men's national basketball team () was the national basketball team that represented the Soviet Union in international competitions. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the successor countries all set up their own national teams.
Based on the number of medals, the basketball program of the former Soviet Union remains one of the most successful in the history of international basketball competitions, behind that of the United States but ahead of Spain.
History EuroBasket 1947 The Soviets first competed in the European championship at EuroBasket 1947. They quickly established their dominance of the European field, winning both preliminary round games, all three semifinal round games, and the championship match against defending gold medallists Czechoslovakia. The Soviets outscored their opponents by an aggregate 126 points over their 6 wins, an average margin of victory of 21 points.
EuroBasket 1951 After refusing to host EuroBasket 1949 as was FIBA Europe's expectation of the Soviet Union and skipping the tournament entirely, the Soviets returned to European championships in EuroBasket 1951. They dominated the early portions of the tournament, outscoring opponents 312–117 in their four preliminary round wins. The three games of the semifinal round also posed little problem for the Soviet team, as the closest any opponent came was the Czechoslovak team losing by only 16. In the first game of the final round, which was essentially a semifinal game, the Soviets defeated Bulgaria 72–54 to advance to the championship game, a rematch against Czechoslovakia.
In that match, the Soviet team faced its first true close test in European play. A 44–44 tie was broken by Soviet Ilmar Kullam from the free throw line with 1 second left on the clock to give the Soviets a 45–44 win. Even that was called into question, however, as one of the referees initially signaled that Kullam had stepped on the free throw line during the shot and therefore the point would be disallowed. After consultation with another referee, however, the free throw was upheld and the Soviets had won their second European championship.
EuroBasket 1953 The Soviets maintained their domination at EuroBasket 1953, which they hosted in Moscow. They had no trouble in a 3–0 preliminary round that included a 104-point slaughter of Denmark. An eight-team final round also posed little difficulty for the squad, with the closest of the 7 wins being a 29–24 slog against Hungary as the Soviets extended their streak to 3 championships with 25 wins and no losses.
EuroBasket 1955 Through four preliminary round games and the first three final round games, the Soviets extended their winning streak to 31 games. With four games left in the final round robin of EuroBasket 1955, the Soviets were facing the pesky Czechoslovakia team, which was so far had been the closest to defeating the Soviet Union, in 1951. Czechoslovakia, however, had already lost twice in the round, and had a record of 1–2 to the Soviets' 3–0 going into the game.
In a shocking result, the 81–74 final score did not favor the Soviet Union. They did so once more before the tournament was over, losing to Hungary in a game that essentially determined the gold medal despite being only the 6th of 7 matches each team played. The Soviets' 5–2 record in the round matched that of Czechoslovakia, and the Soviets finished with only a bronze medal.
EuroBasket 1957 Two years later, at EuroBasket 1957 in Sofia, the Soviets returned to form. They won their three preliminary round games and then their seven final round games, including an exciting final match of the round robin against similarly undefeated hosts Bulgaria. The Soviets trailed 23–19 at halftime, but battled back to a 60–57 victory to take their 4th European championship.
Honours Medals table GamesGoldSilverBronzeTotalSummer Olympics2439FIBA World Cup3328EuroBasket143421FIBA International Christmas Tournament3115McDonald's Championship0101Grand Totals22121044
Competition results
Olympic Games Olympic Games recordYearResultPldWL 1936Did not participate 1948 1952862 1956853 1960862 1964981 1968981 1972990 1976761 1980862 1984Originally qualified, but withdrew 1988871 19924th placeAs the Unified Team, except the previously-occupied republics of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.853Total10/13826616
FIBA World Championship FIBA World Championship recordYearResultPldWL 1950did not participate 1954 19596th placeThe Soviet Union's refusal to play against Formosa on political grounds relegated them to sixth place in the final round. FIBA World Championship History, FIBA.com. Retrieved September 16, 2011.972 1963972 1967981 1970972 1974981 1978862 1982981 19861091 1990862Total9/11806614
FIBA EuroBasket FIBA EuroBasket recordYearResultPldWL 1935did not participate 1937 1939 1941Not held 1946did not participate 1947660 1949did not participate 1951990 195310100 19551192 195710100 1959990 1961880 1963990 1965990 1967990 1969761 1971770 1973761 1975761 1977752 1979871 1981990 1983761 1985871 1987871 1989541 1991did not qualifyTotal21/2817015812
Rosters 1947 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 14 teams
Stepas Butautas, Connor Zaleski, Zuzu Zaleski, Ilmar Kullam, Evgeny Alekseev, Anatoli Konev, Nodar Dzhordzhikiya, Vasili Kolpakov, Vytautas Kulakauskas, Justinas Lagunavičius, Alexander Moiseev, Yuri Ushakov, Kazys Petkevičius, Sergei Tarasov (Coach: Stepan Spandaryan)
1948 Olympic Games: did not participate
1949 EuroBasket: did not participate
1950 World Championship: did not participate
1951 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 17 teams
Stepas Butautas, Otar Korkia, Joann Lõssov, Anatoli Konev, Ilmar Kullam, Anatoli Belov, Heino Kruus, Alexander Moiseev, Justinas Lagunavičius, Vasili Kolpakov, Yuri Larionov, Oleg Mamontov, Evgeni Nikitin, Viktor Vlasov (Coach: Stepan Spandaryan)
1952 Olympic Games: finished 2nd among 23 teams
Stepas Butautas, Otar Korkia, Joann Lõssov, Anatoli Konev, Ilmar Kullam, Nodar Dzhordzhikiya, Heino Kruus, Alexander Moiseev, Justinas Lagunavičius, Yuri Ozerov, Kazys Petkevičius, Maigonis Valdmanis, Viktor Vlasov, Stanislovas Stonkus (Coach: Stepan Spandaryan)
1953 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 17 teams
Stepas Butautas, Otar Korkia, Armenak Alachachian, Ilmar Kullam, Anatoli Konev, Heino Kruus, Alexander Moiseev, Yuri Ozerov, Viktor Vlasov, Justinas Lagunavičius, Algirdas Lauritėnas, Kazys Petkevičius, Lev Reshetnikov, Gunars Silins (Coach: Konstantin Travin)
1954 World Championship: did not participate
1955 EuroBasket: finished 3rd among 18 teams
Otar Korkia, Anatoli Konev, Alexander Moiseev, Yuri Ozerov, Viktor Vlasov, Kazys Petkevičius, Algirdas Lauritėnas, Arkadi Bochkarev, Mikhail Semyonov, Stanislovas Stonkus, Vladimir Torban, Mart Laga, Lev Reshetnikov, Gunars Silins (Coach: Konstantin Travin)
1956 Olympic Games: finished 2nd among 15 teams
Jānis Krūmiņš, Viktor Zubkov, Valdis Muižnieks, Maigonis Valdmanis, Arkadi Bochkarev, Mikhail Semyonov, Yuri Ozerov, Kazys Petkevičius, Algirdas Lauritėnas, Vladimir Torban, Stanislovas Stonkus, Mikhail Studenetski (Coach: Stepan Spandaryan)
1957 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 16 teams
Viktor Zubkov, Valdis Muižnieks, Maigonis Valdmanis, Guram Minashvili, Arkadi Bochkarev, Mikhail Semyonov, Yuri Ozerov, Vladimir Torban, Algirdas Lauritėnas, Mart Laga, Stanislovas Stonkus, Mikhail Studenetski (Coach: Stepan Spandaryan)
1959 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 17 teams
Jānis Krūmiņš, Gennadi Volnov, Viktor Zubkov, Valdis Muižnieks, Maigonis Valdmanis, Arkadi Bochkarev, Yuri Korneev, Guram Minashvili, Mikhail Semyonov, Aleksandr Petrov, Mikhail Studenetski, Vladimir Torban (Coach: Stepan Spandaryan)
1959 World Championship: finished 6th among 13 teams
Jānis Krūmiņš, Viktor Zubkov, Valdis Muižnieks, Maigonis Valdmanis, Guram Minashvili, Mikhail Semyonov, Arkadi Bochkarev, Yuri Korneev, Yuri Ozerov, Vladimir Torban, Oleg Kutuzov, Guram Abashidze (Coach: Stepan Spandaryan)
1960 Olympic Games: finished 2nd among 16 teams
Jānis Krūmiņš, Gennadi Volnov, Viktor Zubkov, Valdis Muižnieks, Maigonis Valdmanis, Vladimer Ugrekhelidze, Guram Minashvili, Mikhail Semyonov, Yuri Korneev, Aleksandr Petrov, Cezars Ozers, Albert Valtin (Coach: Stepan Spandaryan)
1961 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 19 teams
Jānis Krūmiņš, Gennadi Volnov, Viktor Zubkov, Valdis Muižnieks, Maigonis Valdmanis, Armenak Alachachian, Yuri Korneev, Vladimer Ugrekhelidze, Aleksandr Petrov, Aleksandr Kandel, Viacheslav Novikov, Albert Valtin (Coach: Alexander Gomelsky)
1963 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 16 teams
Jānis Krūmiņš, Gennadi Volnov, Jaak Lipso, Armenak Alachachian, Guram Minashvili, Tõnno Lepmets, Viacheslav Khrinin, Alexander Travin, Aleksandr Petrov, Juris Kalnins, Vadim Gladun, Olgerts Jurgensons (Coach: Alexander Gomelsky)
1963 World Championship: finished 3rd among 13 teams
Gennadi Volnov, Viktor Zubkov, Vladimer Ugrekhelidze, Guram Minashvili, Juris Kalnins, Yuri Korneev, Aleksandr Petrov, Anzor Lezhava, Alexander Travin, Viacheslav Khrinin, Leonid Ivanov, Vadim Gladun (Coach: Alexander Gomelsky)
1964 Olympic Games: finished 2nd among 16 teams
Jānis Krūmiņš, Gennadi Volnov, Jaak Lipso, Armenak Alachachian, Valdis Muižnieks, Yuri Korneev, Juris Kalnins, Aleksandr Petrov, Alexander Travin, Viacheslav Khrinin, Levan Moseshvili, Nikolai Baglei (Coach: Alexander Gomelsky)
1965 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 16 teams
Gennadi Volnov, Jaak Lipso, Modestas Paulauskas, Armenak Alachachian, Aleksandr Petrov, Zurab Sakandelidze, Alexander Travin, Viacheslav Khrinin, Visvaldis Eglitis, Nikolai Baglei, Nikolai Sushak, Amiran Skhiereli (Coach: Alexander Gomelsky)
1967 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 16 teams
Sergei Belov, Gennadi Volnov, Modestas Paulauskas, Jaak Lipso, Anatoli Polivoda, Priit Tomson, Tõnno Lepmets, Alzhan Zharmukhamedov, Vladimir Andreev, Zurab Sakandelidze, Yuri Selikhov, Anatoli Krikun (Coach: Alexander Gomelsky)
1967 World Championship: finished 1st among 13 teams
Sergei Belov, Gennadi Volnov, Jaak Lipso, Modestas Paulauskas, Priit Tomson, Anatoli Polivoda, Vladimir Andreev, Zurab Sakandelidze, Alexander Travin, Yuri Selikhov, Rudolf Nesterov, Gennadi Chechuro (Coach: Alexander Gomelsky)
1968 Olympic Games: finished 3rd among 16 teams
Sergei Belov, Gennadi Volnov, Jaak Lipso, Modestas Paulauskas, Priit Tomson, Anatoli Polivoda, Vladimir Andreev, Zurab Sakandelidze, Yuri Selikhov, Anatoli Krikun, Sergei Kovalenko, Vadim Kapranov (Coach: Alexander Gomelsky)
1969 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 12 teams
Sergei Belov, Alexander Belov, Gennadi Volnov, Modestas Paulauskas, Priit Tomson, Vladimir Andreev, Anatoli Polivoda, Zurab Sakandelidze, Alexander Boloshev, Sergei Kovalenko, Alexander Kulkov, Vitali Zastukhov (Coach: Alexander Gomelsky)
1970 World Championship: finished 3rd among 13 teams
Sergei Belov, Alexander Belov, Jaak Lipso, Modestas Paulauskas, Vladimir Andreev, Alzhan Zharmukhamedov, Priit Tomson, Alexander Sidjakin, Zurab Sakandelidze, Sergei Kovalenko, Anatoli Krikun, Vitali Zastukhov (Coach: Alexander Gomelsky)
1971 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 12 teams
Sergei Belov, Alexander Belov, Modestas Paulauskas, Vladimir Andreev, Priit Tomson, Ivan Edeshko, Alzhan Zharmukhamedov, Anatoli Polivoda, Zurab Sakandelidze, Mikheil Korkia, Alexander Boloshev, Aleksei Tammiste (Coach: Vladimir Kondrashin)
1972 Olympic Games: finished 1st among 16 teams
Sergei Belov, Alexander Belov, Gennadi Volnov, Modestas Paulauskas, Ivan Edeshko, Alzhan Zharmukhamedov, Anatoli Polivoda, Zurab Sakandelidze, Alexander Boloshev, Mikheil Korkia, Sergei Kovalenko, Ivan Dvorni (Coach: Vladimir Kondrashin)
1973 EuroBasket: finished 3rd among 12 teams
Sergei Belov, Modestas Paulauskas, Zurab Sakandelidze, Alexander Boloshev, Anatoli Myshkin, Ivan Edeshko, Valeri Miloserdov, Evgeni Kovalenko, Sergei Kovalenko, Yuri Pavlov, Jaak Salumets, Nikolai Djachenko (Coach: Vladimir Kondrashin)
1974 World Championship: finished 1st among 14 teams