2002 in basketball

World Championship

 * Men
 * Gold medal: Yugoslavia
 * Silver medal: Argentina
 * Bronze medal: Germany
 * Final match: Yugoslavia 84, Argentina 77
 * MVP: Dirk Nowitzki, Germany
 * All-tournament team: Nowitzki, Pero Cameron (New Zealand), Manu Ginóbili (Argentina), Peja Stojakovic (Yugoslavia), Yao Ming (China)
 * Women
 * Gold medal: USA
 * Silver medal: Russia
 * Bronze medal: Australia
 * Final match: USA 79, Russia 74

Professional

 * Men
 * 2002 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers over the New Jersey Nets 4–0.  MVP:  Tim Duncan  (More information can be found at 2002-03 NBA season.)
 * 2002 NBA Playoffs, 2002 NBA draft, 2001-02 NBA season, 2002 NBA All-Star Game
 * Philippine Basketball Association 2002 season:
 * Purefoods TJ Hotdogs over the Alaska Aces 4–3 in the Governor's Cup Finals
 * Red Bull Thunder over the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals 4–3 in the Commissioner's Finals
 * Coca-Cola Tigers over the Alaska Aces 3–1 in the All-Filipino Cup Finals
 * Euroleague: Panathinaikos over Kinder Bologna 89–83 in the final match.
 * Women
 * WNBA Finals: Los Angeles Sparks over the New York Liberty 2–0. MVP:  Lisa Leslie
 * 2002 WNBA season, 2002 WNBA Playoffs, 2002 WNBA draft, 2002 WNBA All-Star Game

College

 * Men
 * NCAA Division I: Maryland 64, Indiana 52
 * National Invitation Tournament: University of Memphis
 * NCAA Division II: Metropolitan State College of Denver 80, Kentucky Wesleyan College 72
 * NCAA Division III: Otterbein College 102, Elizabethtown College 83
 * NAIA Division I Oklahoma Science & Arts 96, Oklahoma Baptist University 79
 * NAIA Division II Evangel (Mo.) 84, Robert Morris (Ill.) 61
 * Women
 * NCAA Division I: University of Connecticut 82, Oklahoma 70
 * Women's National Invitation Tournament: University of Oregon
 * NCAA Division II: Cal Poly Pomona 74, Southeastern Oklahoma 62
 * NCAA Division III Wis.-Stevens Point 67, St. Lawrence 65
 * NAIA Division I: Oklahoma City 82, Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 73
 * NAIA Division II Hastings (Neb.) 73, Cornerstone (Mich.) 69

Professional

 * Men
 * NBA Most Valuable Player Award:  Tim Duncan
 * NBA Rookie of the Year Award: Pau Gasol
 * NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: Ben Wallace
 * NBA Coach of the Year Award: Rick Carlisle, Detroit Pistons
 * Euroscar Award: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks and
 * Mr. Europa: Peja Stojaković, Sacramento Kings and Serbia and Montenegro
 * Women
 * WNBA Most Valuable Player Award: Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets
 * WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award: Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets
 * WNBA Rookie of the Year Award: Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever
 * WNBA Most Improved Player Award: Coco Miller, Washington Mystics
 * Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award: Jennifer Gillom, Phoenix Mercury
 * WNBA Coach of the Year Award: Marianne Stanley, Washington Mystics
 * WNBA All-Star Game MVP: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks
 * WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks

Collegiate

 * Combined
 * Legends of Coaching Award: Denny Crum, Louisville
 * Men
 * John R. Wooden Award: Jay Williams, Duke
 * Naismith College Coach of the Year: Ben Howland, Pittsburgh
 * Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: Steve Logan, Cincinnati
 * Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year: Jay Williams, Duke
 * NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse
 * USBWA National Freshman of the Year: T. J. Ford, Texas
 * Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year: Ben Howland, Pittsburgh
 * Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball: Don Haskins
 * Women
 * Naismith College Player of the Year: Sue Bird, Connecticut
 * Naismith College Coach of the Year: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
 * Wade Trophy: Sue Bird, Connecticut
 * Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: Sheila Lambert, Baylor
 * Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year: Sue Bird, Connecticut
 * NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player: Swin Cash, UConn
 * Basketball Academic All-America Team: Stacey Dales-Schuman, Oklahoma
 * Carol Eckman Award: Barbara Stevens, Bentley College
 * Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year: Brenda Oldfield, Minnesota
 * List of Senior CLASS Award women's basketball winners: Sue Bird, Connecticut
 * Nancy Lieberman Award: Sue Bird, Connecticut
 * Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball: Billie Moore

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

 * Class of 2002:
 * Harlem Globetrotters
 * Larry Brown
 * Earvin "Magic" Johnson
 * Robert "Lute" Olson
 * Drazen Petrovic
 * Sandra Kay Yow

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

 * Class of 2002
 * Cindy Brogdon
 * Hortência Marcari
 * Kamie Ethridge
 * Margaret Sexton Gleaves
 * Sandra Meadows
 * Lea Plarski
 * Marianne Crawford Stanley
 * Tara VanDerveer

Movies

 * Double Teamed
 * Juwanna Mann
 * Like Mike

Deaths

 * January 6 — Fred Taylor, Hall of Fame coach of the 1960 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes (born 1924)
 * January 7 — Geoff Crompton, American NBA player (born 1955)
 * January 18 — Alex Hannum, Hall of Fame pro basketball coach (born 1923)
 * January 26 — Milt Ticco, American NBL player (born 1922)
 * February 2 — Ed Jucker, American college coach (Cincinnati) (born 1916)
 * February 13 — Bob Gerber, American NBL player (born 1916)
 * February 21 — Gene Sullivan, American college coach (Loyola (Illinois)) (born 1931)
 * March 11 — Al Bonniwell, American NBL player (Akron Firestone Non-Skids) (born 1911)
 * March 18 — Don Betourne, American NBL player and coach (Kankakee Gallagher Trojans) (born 1915)
 * May 5 — Jimmy Smith, American college All-American (Steubenville) (born 1934)
 * June 3 — Cecil Hankins, NBA player (St. Louis Bombers, Boston Celtics) (born 1922)
 * June 22 — Bobby Roberts, American college coach (Clemson).
 * July 7 — Bison Dele, NBA player (born 1969)
 * July 17 — Ubiratan Pereira Maciel, Hall of Fame Brazilian basketball player (born 1944)
 * July 27 — Billy McCann, 82, American college coach (Hampden–Sydney, Washington and Lee, Virginia).
 * August 8 — Chick Hearn, television and radio announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers (born 1916)
 * September 2 — Abe Lemons, American college coach (Oklahoma City, Texas) (born 1922)
 * September 7 — Edward Spotovich, American NBL player (born 1916)
 * September 14 — Jim Barnes, Former #1 overall NBA draft pick and 1964 Olympic Gold medalist (born 1941)
 * September 23 — Jule Rivlin, American NBL player (Akron Goodyear Wingfoots, Toledo Jeeps) and college coach (Marshall) (born 1917)
 * December 17 — Bobby Joe Hill, American college national champion at Texas Western (1966) (born 1943)
 * December 17 — Hank Luisetti, college basketball player and inventor of the layup; first player to score 50 points in a game (born 1916)