Championships
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: Lithuania def. 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.
Awards and honors
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)
See also Timeline of women's basketball
References
External links