FIBA EuroStars was an annual All-Star Game showcase of the sport of European professional club basketball. It was organized by FIBA Europe. Commonly considered to be the European equivalent of the NBA All-Star Game, the FIBA EuroStars Game featured the season's best players, from both the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague, and the European-wide 2nd-tier level FIBA Saporta Cup competitions. Diversity was considered to be paramount in the selection process, which aimed at allowing several different European national basketball leagues to be represented in the game.
When the first FIBA EuroStars event was held in 1996, it replaced FIBA's original all-star game event, which was called the FIBA Festival. The FIBA Festival had taken place on-and-off, from 1964 to 1998. FIBA EuroStars was held from the 1996âÂÂ97 season, through the 1999âÂÂ00 season, before it was discontinued, due to the FIBAâÂÂEuroLeague dispute. In 2007, the event was briefly brought back, under a different format, for one final edition.
The FIBA EuroStars all-star event was initially held at the very end of the calendar year, during the middle of the current club season, and it initially lasted as an event for four seasons. The FIBA EuroStar events were patterned after the design of the NBA All-Star Game â a match between the East and West geographically. Also like the NBA All-Star Event, the FIBA EuroStars Event a featured a 3-point shootout contest. Players that competed in one of the European national pro club leagues located on the east side of Europe (GBL, TBSL, YUBA, RBSL, IBPL, etc.) were eligible for selection to the East Team, regardless of their individual countries of origin. On the other hand, players that competed in European national pro club leagues on the west side of Europe (ACB, LEGA A, Pro A, BBL, LKL, etc.), were eligible for selection to the West Team. The Eastern Stars defeated their Western opponents on all four editions of the all-star game, under that original format.
In 2007, FIBA Europe brought back the FIBA EuroStar Game, but with a new format. The revised version of the all-star game kept the FIBA EuroStar name. Under the revised format, the then-current champions of the FIBA EuroBasket, would play against an All-Star FIBA European Selection Team, composed of players from various different European national teams. Also, under the revised format, there would no longer be a 3-Point Contest. FIBA rebranded the All-Star Event as the 1st edition of the tournament, under the new format. While it counted the newly revised EuroStar Game as being a part of the original FIBA EuroStar games, that were held from 1996 to 1999.
At the 2007 FIBA EuroStars Game, FIBA also honored some of the FIBA EuroStars of the past. Sergei Belov, Antonello Riva, Doron Jamchi, Dejan Bodiroga, Vladimir Tkachenko, and Vlade Divac. were selected to the FIBA All-Time EuroStars Team. Theo Papaloukas was also given the 2006 FIBA Europe Player of the Year award, prior to the start of the 2007 all-star game. Originally, FIBA Europe intended for the event to continue to take place every two years, after the new champions of each subsequent FIBA EuroBasket were crowned. Ultimately however, the 2007 game was the last edition of the FIBA EuroStar Game to date.
Bold: Indicates the team that won the game.
Source: fiba.basketball
Arena: Abdi ðpekçi, Istanbul, att: (14,000)
Date: December 30, 1996
Season: 1996âÂÂ97
Score: East 117 â West 114
EAST (Head Coach: Duà ¡an IvkoviÃÂ):
WEST (Head Coach: Lolo Sainz):
Game MVP (Crystal Player Award): David Rivers
3 Point Contest winner: Delaney Rudd (defeated Vasily Karasev in the final). <br>Other conestants invited officially by FIBA Europe were: Antoine Rigaudeau, and Carlton Myers. Harun Erdenay was invited by hosts ÃÂlker.
Top scorers: David Rivers (19 pts), Petar Naumoski (16 pts), Randy White (12 pts), ðbrahim Kutluay (9 pts), Orhun Ene (0 pts), Evgeni Kisurin (7 pts), Peja Drobnjak (4 pts), Jure Zdovc (13 pts), Sergei Bazarevich (6 pts), Nikos Oikonomou (25 pts), Panos Fasoulas (6 pts) - Zoran Savià(30 points), Henning Harnisch (7 pts), Marko Milià(8 pts), Yann Bonato (10 pts), Ronny Bayer (1 pt), Delaney Rudd (4 pts), Saà ¡ha Obradovià(15 pts), Walter Magnifico (8 pts), à ½eljko RebraÃÂa (7 pts), Conrad McRae (12 pts), Carlton Myers (12 pts)
( Richard Dacoury, Dragan TarlaÃÂ, Antoine Rigaudeau and Georgios Sigalas were selected, but they didn't play in the game.)
Source: fiba.basketball
Arena: Yad Eliyahu, Tel Aviv
Date: December 30, 1997
Season: 1997âÂÂ98
Score: East 129 â West 107
EAST:
WEST:
Game MVP (Crystal Player Award): Artà «ras Karnià ¡ovas
3 Point Contest winner: Saà ¡ha ÃÂjorÃÂjevià(defeated Guy Goodes in the final).<br>Other conestants invited officially by FIBA Europe were: Antoine Rigaudeau, and Arturas Karnisovas. Guy Goodes was invited by hosts Maccabi Tel-Aviv.
Top scorers: Saà ¡ha ÃÂjorÃÂjevià(23 points) Vladimir Stepania (18 pts), Rashard Griffith (13 pts), Nikos Oikonomou (13 pts), Oded Kattash (9 pts), Nadav Henefeld (8 pts), Damir Mulaomerovià(8 pts), Petar Naumoski (5 pts), Gintaras Einikis (4 pts), Sergei Bazarevich (1 pt) - Artà «ras Karnià ¡ovas (19 points), Byron Scott (18 points), Predrag Drobnjak (18 points), Sasha Danilovià(13 pts), Wendell Alexis (11 pts), Dino RaÃÂja (13 pts), à ½eljko RebraÃÂa (9 pts), Vladimir Stepania (18 pts), Alberto Herreros (5 pts), Vasily Karasev (2 pts), Antoine Rigaudeau (11 pts), Zoran Savià(7 pts), David Rivers (6 pts), Gregor FuÃÂka (2 pts)
( Dejan Bodiroga was selected, but he didn't play in the game.)
Source:fiba.basketball
Arena: Max Schmeling, Berlin
Date: December 29, 1998
Season: 1998âÂÂ99
Score: East 104 â West 98
EAST:
WEST:
Game MVP (Crystal Player Award): Carlton Myers
3 Point Contest winner: Carlton Myers (defeated Petar Naumoski in the final)
Top scorers: Dino RaÃÂja (17 pts), Petar Naumoski (13 pts), ðbrahim Kutluay (13 pts), Dejan Bodiroga (15 pts), Dragan Tarlaà(12 pts) Marko Milià(3 pts), Conrad McRae (4 pts), Saulius à  tombergas (11 pts), David Rivers (12 pts), Nikos Oikonomou (0 pts), Vasily Karasev (4 pts) - Carlton Myers (20 points), Sasha Danilovià(19 points), Artà «ras Karnià ¡ovas (14 pts), Andrea Meneghin (3 pts), Alberto Herreros (2 pts), à ½eljko RebraÃÂa (14 pts), ÃÂric Struelens (4 pts), Henrik Rödl (4 pts), Wendell Alexis (12 pts), Raà ¡ho Nesterovià(2 pts), Antoine Rigaudeau (4 pts),
( Tanoka Beard and Doron Sheffer were selected, but didn't play in the game.)
Source:fiba.basketball
Arena: Olimpiisky, Moscow
Date: December 28, 1999
Season: 1999âÂÂ2000
Score: East 112 â West 107
EAST:
WEST:
Game MVP: Tyus Edney
3 Point Contest winner: ðbrahim Kutluay (defeated Tyus Edney in the final)
Top scorers: Vasily Karasev (20 points), Dragan Tarlaà(18 points), Dejan Bodiroga (18 points), Oded Kattash (16 points), Andrei Kirilenko (10 points), Jià ÂàZÃÂdek Jr. (10 points), Igor Kudelin (9 points), David Rivers (5 points), Anthony Bowie (0 pts), ðbrahim Kutluay (6 pts) - Artà «ras Karnià ¡ovas (29 points), Tyus Edney (19 points), Tanoka Beard (13 points), Nikos Oikonomou (9 points), Marko Milià(6 pts), Alessandro Abbio (5 pts), Tanoka Beard (13 points), Jim Bilba (4 points), Gregor FuÃÂka (9 points), Stojko Vrankovià(6 points), Andrea Meneghin (7 points)
( à ½eljko RebraÃÂa, Dino RaÃÂja, Carlton Myers, and Antoine Rigaudeau were selected, but they didn't play in the game.)
Date: December 27, 2000
Season: 2000âÂÂ01
Score: Cancelled due to the FIBAâÂÂEuroLeague dispute
The 2000 All-Star Game was cancelled, as at that time, European pro club basketball was in a dispute, having two 1st-tier level competitions taking place in the same 2000âÂÂ01 club basketball league season. With the two rival leagues, the FIBA SuproLeague and EuroLeague Basketball, competing directly against each other.
Date: June 30, 2007
Season: 2006âÂÂ07
Score: Greek National Team 101 â FIBA European Selection Team 90
Greek National Team:
FIBA European Selection Team:
( Dejan Bodiroga, Peja StojakoviÃÂ, Felipe Reyes (FIBA European Selection Team), and Sofoklis Schortsanitis (Greek NT) were also selected, but they didn't play in the game.)
Top scorers: Greek National Team:
Top scorers: FIBA European Selection Team:
Scoresheet :<br /> Greek National Team: Papaloukas (14 points), Zisis (10 points), Spanoulis (6 points), Vasilopoulos (4 points), Fotsis (20 points), Chatzivrettas (10 points), Dikoudis (4 points), Tsartsaris (9 points), Diamantidis (0 points), Papadopoulos (4 points), Kakiouzis (4 points), Bourousis (16 points).
FIBA European Selection team:
Hagag (4 points), Boisa (4 points), BeÃÂirovià(6 points), Pecile (8 points), De Miguel (5 points), Wójcik (10 points), Roller (4 points), Van Den Spiegel (14 points), Grafs (5 points), Savrasenko (5 points), Kutluay (10 points), Fridzon (7 points), Popovià(0 points), VujÃÂià(8 points).
At the 2007 FIBA EuroStars Game, FIBA honored Sergei Belov, Antonello Riva, Doron Jamchi, Dejan Bodiroga, Vladimir Tkachenko, and Vlade Divac, who was not present at the event, as they were selected to the FIBA All-Time EuroStars Team.