1981 in basketball

Basketball competitions taking place in 1981

Men

 * Intercontinental Cup : Real Madrid

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

 * Class of 1981:
 * Tom Barlow
 * Arad McCutchan
 * Ferenc Hepp
 * J. Walter Kennedy

Deaths

 * January 1 — Matt Vaniel, American professional player (born 1919)
 * January 5 — Joe Dolhon, American professional player (born 1927)
 * January 9 — Tommy Byrnes, American professional player (born 1923)
 * January 10 — Chink Crossin, American professional player (born 1923)
 * January 22 — Russ Wilkins, American professional player (born 1923)
 * January 31 — Dick Edwards, American college coach (born 1930)
 * February 7 — Connie Kunzmann, American professional player (born 1956)
 * February 26 — Bud Lindberg, American professional player (born 1909)
 * April 3 — Willis Young, American professional player (born 1911)
 * June 7 — Ian Watson, Australian Olympic player (born 1949)
 * June 20 — Rock Norman, American college coach (born 1892)
 * June 23 — Lou Spicer, American professional player (born 1922)
 * July 3 — Artūras Andrulis, Lithuanian national team player (born 1922)
 * July 25 — Bobby Anet, college All-American and national champion (Oregon) (born 1917)
 * August 6 — Jack Harvey, college All-American and AAU player (born 1918)
 * September 4 — Carl Knowles, American Olympic gold medalist (1936) (born 1910)
 * September 10 — John Lance, American college coach (born 1897)
 * September 16 — John Azary, American college and professional player (born 1929)
 * November 8 — George Nostrand, American professional player (born 1924)