1997 in basketball

Professional

 * Men
 * 1997 NBA Finals: Chicago Bulls over the Utah Jazz 4-2.  MVP:  Michael Jordan
 * 1997 NBA Playoffs
 * 1996–97 NBA season
 * 1997 NBA draft
 * 1997 NBA All-Star Game
 * Eurobasket: Yugoslavia 61, Italy 49
 * Women
 * WNBA Finals: Houston Comets over the New York Liberty. MVP:  Cynthia Cooper
 * 1997 WNBA Playoffs
 * 1997 WNBA season
 * 1997 WNBA draft
 * Eurobasket Women: [[Image:Flag of Lithuania.svg|20px]] Lithuania def. [[Image:Flag of Slovakia.svg|20px]] Slovakia

College

 * Men
 * NCAA
 * Division I: University of Arizona 84, University of Kentucky 79
 * National Invitation Tournament: 	University of Michigan def. Florida State University
 * Division II: Cal State Bakersfield 57, Northern Kentucky University 56
 * Division III: Illinois Wesleyan University 89, Nebraska Wesleyan University 86
 * NAIA
 * NAIA Division I: Life University (Ga.) 73, Oklahoma Baptist University 64
 * NAIA Division II: Bethel College (Indiana) (IN) 95, Siena Heights College (MI) 94
 * NJCAA
 * NJCAA Division I:  Indian Hills CC, Ottumwa, Iowa 89, San Jacinto College, (TX)  80
 * Women
 * NCAA
 * Division I: University of Tennessee 68, Old Dominion University 59
 * Division II: North Dakota State University 94, University of Southern Indiana 78
 * Division III New York University 72, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire 70
 * NAIA
 * NAIA Division I: Southern Nazarene University (OK) 78 Union College (TN) (73)
 * NAIA Division II Northwest Nazarene University (ID) 64, Black Hills State University (SD) 46
 * NJCAA
 * Division I Trinity Valley CC 79, Central Florida CC 69
 * Division II Kirkwood CC 76, Carl Sandburg College 67
 * Division III Anoka-Ramsey CC 80, Monroe CC 57

Preps
Bloomington North defeats Delta to win Indiana's last open-class basketball state championship.

Professional

 * Men
 * NBA Most Valuable Player Award:  Karl Malone
 * NBA Rookie of the Year Award: Allen Iverson
 * NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: Dikembe Mutombo
 * NBA Coach of the Year Award: Pat Riley, Miami Heat
 * Women
 * WNBA Most Valuable Player Award: Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets
 * WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: Teresa Weatherspoon, New York Liberty
 * Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Zheng Haixia, Los Angeles Sparks
 * WNBA Coach of the Year Award: Van Chancellor, Houston Comets
 * WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award: Cynthia Cooper, Houston Comets

Collegiate

 * Men
 * John R. Wooden Award: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
 * Naismith College Coach of the Year: Roy Williams, Kansas
 * Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: Brevin Knight, Stanford
 * Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
 * NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player: Jeff Sheppard, Kentucky
 * Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year: Clem Haskins, Minnesota
 * Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball: Phog Allen
 * Women
 * Naismith College Player of the Year: Kate Starbird, Stanford
 * Naismith College Coach of the Year: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
 * Wade Trophy: DeLisha Milton, Florida
 * Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: Jennifer Howard, NC State
 * Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year: Kara Wolters, Connecticut
 * NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player: Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee
 * Carol Eckman Award: Amy Ruley, North Dakota State University
 * Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

 * Class of 1997:
 * Pete Carril
 * Joan Crawford
 * Denise Curry
 * Antonio Díaz-Miguel
 * Alex English
 * Don Haskins
 * Bailey Howell

Events

 * WNBA played its first season.

Movies

 * Air Bud
 * The Sixth Man

Deaths

 * January 8 — Paul Endacott, Hall of Fame player for the Kansas Jayhawks (born 1902)
 * February 2 — Raimundo Saporta, former head of Real Madrid basketball and FIBA Hall of Fame member (born 1926)
 * March 6 — Roger Brown, player for Indiana Pacers (born 1942)
 * April 18 — Francis Johnson, American Olympic gold medalist (1936) (born 1910)
 * May 16 — Bones McKinney, former coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and early NBA player (born 1919)
 * May 17 — Tusten Ackerman, All-American college player at Kansas (born 1901)
 * June 5 — Joe Schaaf, All-American college player (Penn) (born 1908)
 * September 7 — Bill Strannigan, American college coach (Colorado State, Iowa State, Wyoming) (born 1918)
 * December 23 — Lester Harrison, Hall of Fame coach of the 1951 NBA Champion Rochester Royals (born 1904)