The Russia men's national basketball team (russian: национа́льная сбо́рная Росси́и по баскетболу, natsionalnaya sbornaya rossii po basketbolu) represents Russia in international

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

competition. They are organized and run by the

Russian Basketball Federation Russian Basketball Federation (russian: Российская Федерация Баскетбола, Rossiyskaya Federatsiya Basketbola), also known as RBF, is a national governing body of basketball in Russia. It was founded in 1991, and is the ...

(RBF). The team came into existence after the

dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and its

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

. In the post-Soviet era, the Russia national team consisting of Soviet players under the guidance of

Sergei Belov Sergei Alexandrovich Belov (russian: Серге́й Алекса́ндрович Бело́в; 23 January 1944 – 3 October 2013) was a Russian professional basketball player, most noted for playing for CSKA Moscow and the senior Sovi ...

won the silver medal at

EuroBasket 1993 The 1993 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1993, was the 28th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship, held by FIBA Europe. It was held in Germany between 22 June and 4 July 1993. Sixteen national teams entered ...

. It also won silver at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

in consecutive appearances in 1994 and 1998. However, Belov's departure saw Russia face multiple disappointments, until

David Blatt David Michael Blatt ( he, דוד מיכאל בלאט; born May 22, 1959), is an Israeli-American professional basketball executive. He is also a former coach and player. Blatt played point guard at Princeton University from 1977 to 1981 and p ...

took over as head coach. Under Blatt's guidance, the national team became champions at

EuroBasket 2007 The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to th ...

, and also won bronze medals at

EuroBasket 2011 EuroBasket 2011 was the 37th men's European Basketball Championship, held by FIBA Europe. The competition was hosted by Lithuania. This was the second time EuroBasket had been held in Lithuania, the country having also hosted the 1939 cha ...

and the 2012 Summer Olympics. After Blatt left the staff in late 2012, Russian national basketball experienced a deep crisis due to corruption in the RBF, and the federation's conflict with

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

. Following a failed performance at

EuroBasket 2015 EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 S ...

, Russia did not qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The situation stabilized after members of the RBF, including president Yulia Anikeeva, were dismissed. The current head coach is

Zoran Lukić Zoran Lukić ( sr-cyr, Зоран Лукић; born 27 November 1956) is a Swedish football manager and a former player. Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the time part of Yugoslavia, Lukić had a long career in FK Sarajevo. He left for Sweden pr ...

. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIBA banned Russian teams and officials from participating in FIBA basketball and FIBA 3x3 Basketball competitions.

History

Early history (1992–2000)

The history of post-Soviet basketball in Russia dates back to 1992. The head coach back then was

Yuri Selikhov Yuri Selikhov (born 10 October 1941) is a Russian basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the X ...

. The first major tournament Russia participated in was the

in Germany. The roster included players from the USSR era, among them were

Sergey Bazarevich Sergei Valerianovich Bazarevich (russian: Сергей Валерьянович Базаревич; born 16 March 1965) is a Russian former professional basketball player and coach. At and , he played at the point guard and shooting guard positio ...

, and Dmitry Sukharev. Russia became runners-up, losing in the final to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, 70–71.

Sergey Belov Sergei Alexandrovich Belov (russian: Серге́й Алекса́ндрович Бело́в; 23 January 1944 – 3 October 2013) was a Russian professional basketball player, most noted for playing for CSKA Moscow and the senior Sov ...

was appointed new head coach of the national team after the EuroBasket. Russia debuted at the

1994 World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football, soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the countr ...

, reaching the final, losing only to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, 91–137. At the

EuroBasket 1995 The 1995 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1995, was the 29th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 1996 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to ea ...

, Russia displayed a very mediocre performance at the tournament, where the national team eventually finished up in 7th place, with an (5-4) record overall. Two years later Russia beat

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

108–89, to claim the bronze medal. At the 1998 World Cup, Russia took home the silver medal. The final tournament under the guidance of Belov was the

EuroBasket 1999 The 1999 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 1999, was the 31st FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2000 Olympic Tournament, giving a berth ...

in France. In the quarterfinals, the national team lost to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, and in the classification matches defeated

, but lost to

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

in the fifth-place match.

Decline (2000–2006)

Belov was replaced by

Stanislav Eremin Stanislav Georgiyevich Yeryomin (russian: Станислав Георгиевич Ерёмин; born February 26, 1951 in Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union), last name also spelled Eremin and Yeremin, is a prominent retired Russian professional bask ...

as the new head coach in the new century. Russia debuted at their first

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

, in

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

, in 2000. Russia lost two matches in the preliminary round and got to the quarterfinals from the bottom of the group, losing there to USA, 85–70. In the classification rounds, Russia lost to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, 86–83, in double

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...

, finishing the Games in 8th place. At the

EuroBasket 2001 The 2001 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2001, was the 32nd FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2002 FIBA World Championship, giving a b ...

, the Russians took the overall 5th place. In the preliminary round, Russia won two out of three matches, defeating

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

but falling to

. Russia qualified to the quarterfinals as one of the top teams from their group, but lost to Spain, 62–55. Russia won both matches in the classification phase, defeating

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

and France. At the

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, Russia exhibited a lackluster outing during the competition and failed to medal, ending in 10th place. In 2002, Sergey Elevich was named the new head coach until 2003, when he was replaced by Sergei Babkov, who also coached for two years. However, Russia played poorly during this time, producing no outstanding results.

Blatt era (2006–2012)

On 9 March 2006, the new head coach of the national team became American-

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. The period under Blatt's guidance was marked by some great moments. Russia won

, defeating the host nation

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. In the first quarter of the final, the Russians were 10 points down, losing offensive and defensive rebounds and failing to counter

Pau Gasol Pau Gasol Sáez (, ; born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol won two NBA champion ...

. The team also started the game cold from the three-point line. However, in the 4th quarter Russia came back. With a minute and a half remaining in regulation Spain led by five points, but then David Blatt took a timeout, and Russia decreased the gap. In the final three seconds J. R. Holden converted on a difficult shot and Russia took the lead by one point. Spain quickly called timeout one second later. Out of the timeout Spain immediately got the ball in to Gasol, for a potential game winner, but the shot was off the mark, and Russia prevailed 60–59.

Andrey Kirilenko Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko (russian: Андрей Геннадьевич Кириленко; born February 18, 1981) is a Russian-American basketball executive and former professional basketball player, currently the commissioner of the Russ ...

was named MVP of the tournament. At the

2008 Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...

, in the first match they defeated

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, but then lost to

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, Lithuania,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, and

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. In the group phase Russia took fifth and finished their performance. At

EuroBasket 2009 The 2009 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2009, was the 36th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe. The tournament, which was hosted by Poland, began on 7 September and concluded with the ...

, Russia was without its leader Kirilenko and Holden for personal reasons, and

Victor Khryapa Victor Vladimirovich Khryapa (also trans. Viktor; russian: Виктор Владимирович Хряпа; born August 3, 1982) is a Russian former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career playing for CSKA Moscow of t ...

due to injury. They were replaced by young players

Fedor Dmitriev Fedor Dmitriev (born 19 November 1984) is a Russian former professional basketball player. During his playing career, at a height of 2.05 m (6'8 ") tall, he played at the small forward and power forward positions. He was also a member of the seni ...

Egor Vyaltsev Egor Ivanovich Vyaltsev (russian: Егор Иванович Вяльцев, born 10 October 1985) is a Russian professional basketball player who plays for Samara. He also represents the senior Russian national basketball team. Professional caree ...

, and Kelly McCarty. The Russians still managed to reach the quarterfinals, but were eventually eliminated by

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, to finish 7th in the tournament. On 12 December 2009, Russia received a wild card for the

2010 World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

. In the preliminary phase, Russia finished second in their group after victories over

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

, the

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, and Greece, but failed to win against

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. In the round of 16, they defeated

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, but finished their performance in the quarterfinals, losing to the

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many Multi ...

, 79–89. Russia as in the last EuroBasket finished 7th, after losing to Argentina and defeating

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

Russia participated at the

, winning 10 of 11 matches. They failed to reach the final after losing to France. In the bronze medal game, Russia in a tight game subdued Macedonia. Kirilenko was named to the All-Tournament Team. Notwithstanding their third place, Russia did not directly qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, but qualified instead through the qualifying tournament in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

in early July 2012, where they did not lose a single match. Lithuania vs

At the 2012 Olympics, Russia took the top position in their preliminary phase group, losing only to Australia before advancing. In the quarterfinals Russia defeated Lithuania, but then lost to Spain, 59–67. In the third-place match, Russia defeated Argentina, the Olympic champions of 2004, 81–77. Kirilenko became member of the All-Olympics Team according to

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

. He was ranked third in blocks and steals, sixth in scoring and eighth in rebounding. On 30 October 2012, Blatt decided to step down as head coach of the national team.

Corruption in the RBF and decline (2012–2016)

In late December a new head coach was chosen,

Bilbao Basket Club Basket Bilbao Berri S.A.D., commonly known as Bilbao Basket (), also known as Surne Bilbao Basket for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Bilbao, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. Their home arena is the Bilba ...

coach

Fotis Katsikaris Fotios Katsikaris (alternate spelling: Fotis) ( Greek: Φώτιος Κατσικάρης, born 16 May 1967) is a Greek professional basketball coach and a former professional basketball player, he was most recently head coach for the Unicaja Mála ...

. 19 July 2013, three days before the training for the upcoming

EuroBasket 2013 EuroBasket 2013 was the 38th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It took place from 4 September until 22 September 2013 in Slovenia. The number of participating teams was 24. France defeated Lithuania in th ...

, he decided not to coach the national team. On the next day he published an open letter in which he explained his decision. He felt that his actions were met with opposition from the administration of the

, especially from acting president Yulia Anikeeva (the future president of the RBF who was arrested in 2016 for corruption), and criticized the dismissal of general manager Oleg Ushakov. Katsikaris was replaced by

Vasily Karasev Vasily Nikolayevich Karasev (russian: Василий Николаевич Карасев; born April 14, 1971) is a Russian former professional basketball player and basketball coach, coach. He was most recently the head coach of B.C. Zenit Saint ...

. Losing 4 out of 5 matches in the preliminary round against

, Greece,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

(only winning against

). Team Russia finished in 24th place at the EuroBasket 2013, the worst result ever for the national team. Karasev was then replaced by Evgeny Pashutin on 29 November 2013. A vast majority of its players declined participating in the

, including

Timofey Mozgov Timofey Pavlovich Mozgov ( rus, Тимофей Павлович Мозгов, p=tʲɪmɐˈfʲej mɐˈzɡof, born July 16, 1986) is a Russian former professional basketball player. Mozgov won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 20 ...

Sergey Karasev Sergey Vasiliyevich Karasev (russian: Серге́й Васильевич Карасёв, Karasyov; born October 26, 1993) is a Russian professional basketball player for Russian team Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League. He was drafte ...

Pavel Podkolzin Pavel Nikolaevitch Podkolzin (russian: Павел Николаевич Подкользин) (born 15 January 1985) is a Russian former professional basketball player. Formerly, he played in the NBA and the NBA Development League. He is a tal ...

Alexey Shved Alexey Viktorovich Shved (Russian language, Russian: Алексей Викторович Швед; born December 16, 1988) is a Russian professional basketball player for PBC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. Standing at , he pl ...

Evgeny Voronov Evgeny Sergeyevich Voronov (russian: Евгений Сергеевич Воронов, born May 7, 1986) is a Russian professional basketball player for Parma Basket of the VTB United League. He is also a member of the Russia national basketball t ...

, Artem Vikhrov,

Evgeny Valiev Evgeny Damirovich Valiev (russian: Евгений Дамирович Валиев; born May 3, 1990) is a Russian professional basketball player. Professional career On June 25, 2019, he has signed a two-year contract with Khimki of the VTB Unite ...

, and Sergey Tokarev.

Anton Ponkrashov Anton Aleksandrovich Ponkrashov (russian: Антон Александрович Понкрашов, born April 23, 1986) is a Russian professional basketball player for Nizhny Novgorod of the VTB United League. Standing at , he can play as a swing ...

and

were initially dismissed from the national team, but then returned.

in the last moment allowed team Russia to participate in spite of the disqualification of the RBF. Russia lost four matches in a row to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, Finland, and France, and so failed to qualify for the

2016 Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

; they finished 17th. Pashutin resigned on 29 October 2015. An executive committee of the RBF on 20 January 2016 named a new head coach,

. Russia planned to prepare for the

EuroBasket 2017 EuroBasket 2017 was the 40th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe and held between 31 August and 17 September 2017. Beginning from 2017, the continental championships take place every four years with a similar ...

, but FIBA suspended the RBF in July 2015. However, later their membership was restored in November 2015. Their disqualification was annulled in late May 2016, and in September 2016 team Russia qualified for the EuroBasket.

Return to European success; Ban (2016–)

At the

, Russia defeated four of their five opponents

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

in the preliminary round, losing only to

before advancing. In the knockout stage Russia beat Croatia breaking the 100 points mark, and in the quarterfinals closely defeated Greece to reach the semifinals. Serbia though proved to be too tough this time around defeating Russia 87–79 to reach the final. The bronze medal match between Russia and

was won by Spain, 93–85. After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIBA banned Russian teams and officials from participating in FIBA basketball and FIBA 3x3 Basketball competitions.

Honours

Medals table (since 1992)

Competitive record

FIBA World Cup

Olympic Games

FIBA Stanković Continental Champions' Cup

EuroBasket

Results and fixtures

2021

2022

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Depth chart

Notable players

* Sergei Panov: 2006 EuroLeague champion. * J. R. Holden:

champion. *

Andrei Kirilenko Andrei Gennadyevich Kirilenko (russian: Андрей Геннадьевич Кириленко; born February 18, 1981) is a Russian-American basketball executive and former professional basketball player, currently the commissioner of the Russ ...

: Was the youngest European basketball player to be drafted,

champion, and

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

;

FIBA Europe Player of the Year The FIBA Europe Men's Player of the Year Award was an annual official FIBA Europe award for the Player of the Year (POY), that was inaugurated in the year 2005, and bestowed until 2014. The winner was a basketball player who had European citizens ...

in 2007.

Flag bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a f ...

2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the ''Bird's Nest''. It began at 20:00 China Standard Time ( UTC+08:00) on Friday, 8 August 2008, as the number 8 is considered to be auspicious. ...

for Russia. *

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

and

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

(

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

champion.

Head coach position

– 1992–1993 *

– 1993–2000 *

– 1999–2002 * Sergey Elevich – 2003–2004 * Sergei Babkov – 2004–2005 *

– 2006–2012 *

– 2012–2013 * Vasiliy Karasev – 2013 * Evgeny Pashutin – 2014–2015 *

– 2016–2021 *

– 2021–present

Past rosters

1993 EuroBasket: finished 2nd among 16 teams 4

Vladimir Gorin Vladimir Gorin (born 13 March 1961) is a Russian former basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1992 Summer Olympics. References External links

* 1961 births Living people Soviet men's basketball players Russia ...

, 5 Dmitry Shakulin, 6 Dmitry Sucharev, 7 Maksim Astanin, 8

Vitaly Nosov Vitaly Yevgenyevich Nosov (russian: Виталий Евгеньевич Носов; born 1 February 1968 in Moscow, USSR) is a retired Russian professional basketball player. He was part of the Russian squad that won the silver medal at th ...

, 9

Sergei Bazarevich Sergei Valerianovich Bazarevich (russian: Сергей Валерьянович Базаревич; born 16 March 1965) is a Russian former professional basketball player and coach. At and , he played at the point guard and shooting guard posi ...

, 10 Sergei Babkov, 11 Mikhail Mikhailov, 12

, 13 Andrei Fetisov, 14 Sergei Panov, 15 Vladislav Kondratov (Coach:

) ---- 1994 FIBA World Cup: finished 2nd among 16 teams 4

, 5 Sergei Babkov, 6 Evgeni Kisurin, 7 Mikhail Mikhailov, 8 Andrei Fetisov, 9

Dmitri Domani Dmitri Viacheslavovich Domani (russian: Дмитрий Вячеславович Домани; born 27 September 1974) is a Russian professional basketball official and a former player. He is 2.00 m tall and he weighs 98 kg. H formerly played ...

, 10 Sergei Panov, 11 Evgeni Pashutin, 12 Igor Grachev, 13 Sergei Ivanov, 14

, 15

(Coach:

) ---- 1995 EuroBasket: finished 7th among 14 teams 4

, 5

Igor Kudelin Igor Kudelin (born August 8, 1972) is a Russian former professional basketball player. A 1.95 tall shooting guard, he spent the major part of his career playing for PBC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow. He helped his team reach the Euroleague Final Four t ...

, 6

, 7 Evgeni Kisurin, 8 Evgeniy Pashutin, 9

, 10 Sergei Babkov, 11 Mikhail Mikhailov, 12 Andrei Fetisov, 13 Sergei Ivanov, 14 Sergei Panov, 15

(Coach:

) ---- 1997 EuroBasket: finished 3rd among 16 teams 4

, 5

, 6 Igor Kurashov, 7 Evgeni Kisurin, 8 Evgeniy Pashutin, 9 Dmitry Shakulin, 10 Sergei Babkov, 11 Mikhail Mikhailov, 12

Zakhar Pashutin Zakhar Yuryevich Pashutin (russian: Захар Юрьевич Пашутин; born May 3, 1974 in Sochi, USSR) is a retired Russian professional basketball player and basketball coach. At a height of 1.96 m (6'5"), and a weight of 95 kg (210 ...

, 13 Andrei Fetisov, 14 Sergei Panov, 15

(Coach:

) ----

1998 FIBA World Cup The 1998 FIBA World Championship was the 13th FIBA World Championship, an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation and hosted in Greece from 29 July to 9 August 1998. The tournament was contested by 16 n ...

: finished 2nd among 16 teams 4

, 5

, 6

, 7 Evgeni Kisurin, 8

, 9 Valeri Tikhonenko, 10 Sergei Babkov, 11 Mikhail Mikhailov, 12

Nikita Morgunov Nikita Leonidovich Morgunov (russian: Никита Леонидович Моргунов; born June 29, 1975) is a Russian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he played both the power forward and center positions. He represented ...

, 13 Igor Kurashov, 14 Sergei Panov, 15

(Coach:

) ---- 1999 EuroBasket: finished 6th among 16 teams 4

, 5

, 6

Alexander Petrenko Alexander Anatolievich Petrenko (alternative spelling: Alexandre; 4 February 1976 – 21 July 2006) was a Russian professional basketball player. He was born in Almaty, Kazakh SSR, and held Russian citizenship. Professional career Petrenko playe ...

, 7 Evgeni Kisurin, 8 Evgeniy Pashutin, 9 Valeri Tikhonenko, 10 Sergei Babkov, 11 Igor Kurashov, 12

, 13

Ruslan Avleev Ruslan Avleev (born June 4, 1976 in Sarapul, Udmurtia) is a former Russian professional basketball 6'6" power forward of Tatar ethnicity. Started his career as a pro in 1995 with BK EVRAZ. Avleev had played in Russia (EVRAZ, CSKA, UNICS Kazan, ...

, 14 Sergei Panov, 15

(Coach:

) ----

2000 Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

: finished 8th among 12 teams 4

Sergei Chikalkin Sergei Chikalkin (born December 11, 1975) is a Russian former professional basketball player. The 1.96 m 95 kg (6'5" 210 pound) shooting guard is known for his long-range shooting accuracy. Started his career as a pro in 1995 with ...

, 5 Valentin Kubrakov, 6

Aleksandr Bashminov Aleksandr Bashminov (born 7 May 1978) is a Russian basketball player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dha ...

, 7 Evgeni Kisurin, 8

, 9

, 10 Evgeniy Pashutin, 11

, 12 Andrei Fetisov, 13

, 14 Sergei Panov, 15

(Coach:

) ---- 2001 EuroBasket: finished 5th among 16 teams 4 Anton Ioudine, 5 Alexandre Bachminov, 6 Sergei Panov, 7

, 8

, 9

, 10 Evgeniy Pashutin, 11

, 12 Alexander Miloserdov, 13

, 14

Aleksey Savrasenko Alexey Dmitrievitch Savrasenko (alternate spelling: Alexei) (russian: Алексей Дмитриевич Саврасенко, born February 28, 1979) is a retired Russian-Greek professional basketball player. He played at the Center (basketball) ...

, 15 Petr Samoylenko (Coach:

) ---- 2002 FIBA World Cup: finished 10th among 16 teams 4

, 5

, 6 Sergei Panov, 7

, 8

, 9

, 10 Evgeniy Pashutin, 11

, 12

, 13

, 14

, 15

(Coach:

) ---- 2003 EuroBasket: finished 8th among 16 teams 4

, 5 Denis Ershov, 6

Fedor Likholitov Fedor Likholitov (russian: Фёдор Лихолитов; born March 14, 1980) is a Russian former professional basketball player. He is a power forward – center who most recently played for Krasny Oktyabr in VTB United League. College caree ...

, 7 Mikhail Soloviev, 8 Valentin Kubrakov, 9 Petr Samoylenko, 10

, 11

, 12

Sergei Monia Sergei Alexandrovich Monia (russian: Сергей Александрович Моня; born 15 April 1983) is a Russian professional basketball player. He was selected by the NBA club the Portland Trail Blazers, in the first round (23rd overall) ...

, 13

, 14

, 15

(Coach: Sergei Elevich) ---- 2005 EuroBasket: finished 8th among 16 teams 4

, 5

J.R. Holden Jon Robert "J.R." Holden (russian: Джон Ро́берт Хо́лден; born August 10, 1976) is a retired American-Russian professional basketball player, currently serving as an NBA Director of Player Personnel for the Brooklyn Nets. Holden wa ...

, 6

, 7

Vitaly Fridzon Vitaly Valeryevich Fridzon (russian: Виталий Валерьевич Фридзон, born October 14, 1985) is a Russian professional basketball player for BC Zenit Saint Petersburg, Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League. He also rep ...

, 8

, 9 Petr Samoylenko, 10

, 11

, 12

, 13

, 14 Andrei Ivanov, 15

(Coach: Sergei Babkov) ----

2007 EuroBasket The 2007 FIBA European Championship, commonly called FIBA EuroBasket 2007, was the 35th FIBA EuroBasket regional basketball championship held by FIBA Europe, which also served as Europe qualifier for the 2008 Summer Olympics, giving a berth to th ...

: finished 1st among 16 teams 4

Nikita Shabalkin Nikita Shabalkin (born October 9, 1986) is a Russian former professional basketball player. At a height of 2.06 m (6'9") tall, and a weight of 105 kg (232 lbs.), he played at both the small forward and power forward positions. Professional career ...

, 5

, 6 Sergei Bykov, 7

), 8

, 9 Petr Samoylenko, 10

, 11

, 12

, 13

, 14

, 15

Nikolay Padius Nikolay Padius (alternate spelling: Nikolai; born January 9, 1980, in Saint Petersburg, SFSR, Soviet Union) is a Russian former professional basketball player. At a height of 1.97 m (6 ft 5 in) tall, and a weight of 93 kg (205 pounds ...

(Coach:

) ---- 2008 Olympic Games: finished 9th among 12 teams 4

Andrey Vorontsevich Andrey Konstantinovich Vorontsevich (russian: Андрей Константинович Воронцевич, born July 17, 1987) is a Russian professional basketball player for the Russian team UNICS Kazan of the VTB United League. He plays at th ...

, 5

, 6 Sergei Bykov, 7

(C), 8

, 9 Petr Samoylenko, 10

, 11

, 12

, 13

, 14

, 15

Victor Keyru Victor Johnovich Keyru (alternate spelling: Viktor Keirou) (russian: Виктор Джонович Кейру; born January 31, 1984) is a Russian former professional basketball player. Standing at , he played both the small forward and the shoot ...

(Coach:

) ---- 2009 EuroBasket: finished 7th among 16 teams 4

, 5

Nikita Kurbanov Nikita Aleksandrovich Kurbanov (russian: Никита Александрович Курбанов; born October 5, 1986) is a Russian professional basketball player and the Captain (sports), team captain of PBC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow of the VTB ...

, 6 Sergei Bykov, 7

, 8 Kelly McCarty, 9 Dmitri Sokolov, 10

, 11

, 12

, 13

, 14 Aleksei Zozulin, 15

(Coach:

) ----

2010 FIBA World Cup The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

: finished 7th among 24 teams 4

, 5 Evgeny Kolesnikov, 6 Sergei Bykov, 7

, 8

Alexander Kaun Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

, 9

Alexey Zhukanenko Alexey Yurevich Zhukanenko (russian: Алексей Юрьевич Жуканенко, born May 18, 1986) is a Kazakhstani-born naturalised-Russian professional basketball player for Pieno žvaigždės of the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga. A center, he ...

, 10

, 11

, 12

, 13

Dmitry Khvostov Count Dmitry Ivanovich Khvostov (russian: граф Дми́трий Ива́нович Хвосто́в, – ), was a Russian poet, representing the late period of classicism in Russian literature. Count Khvostov, as he was widely known, was an ...

, 14

, 15

(Coach:

) ---- 2011 EuroBasket: finished 3rd among 24 teams 4

, 5

, 6 Sergei Bykov, 7

, 8

, 9

, 10

, 11

Semyon Antonov Semyon Sergeyevich Antonov (russian: Семён Сергеевич Антонов, born July 18, 1989) is a Russian professional basketball player for PBC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. He also represents the senior Russia nati ...

, 12

, 13

, 14

, 15

(Coach:

) ----

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

: finished 3rd among 12 teams 4

, 5

, 6

, 7

, 8

, 9

, 10

, 11

, 12

, 13

, 14

, 15

(Coach:

) ---- 2013 EuroBasket: finished 21st among 24 teams 4

, 5 Dmitri Sokolov, 6

, 7

, 8

, 9

Dmitry Kulagin Dmitry Andreyevich Kulagin (russian: Дмитрий Андреевич Кулагин; born July 1, 1992) is a Russian professional basketball player for Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League. Professional career Kulagin started his pro ...

, 10

, 11

, 12

, 13

, 14

, 15

(Coach:

) ----

2015 EuroBasket EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 S ...

: finished 17th among 24 teams 1

Andrey Zubkov Andrey Yuryevich Zubkov (russian: Андрей Юрьевич Зубков; born June 29, 1991) is a Russian professional basketball player for the Russian team Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League. He also represents the senior Russia ...

, 4 Evgeny Baburin, 5 Ruslan Pateev, 7

, 9

, 11

, 12

, 13

, 14

(C), 20

, 32

Andrey Desyatnikov Andrey Valeryevich Desyatnikov (russian: Андрей Валерьевич Десятников; born May 4, 1994) is a Russian professional basketball player. Professional career Desyatnikov began playing with the junior teams of Spartak Primo ...

, 41

(Coach: Evgeniy Pashutin) ----

2017 EuroBasket EuroBasket 2017 was the 40th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe and held between 31 August and 17 September 2017. Beginning from 2017, the continental championships take place every four years with a similar ...

: finished 4th among 24 teams 1

, 4 Evgeny Baburin, 7

, 8

Vladimir Ivlev Vladimir Sergeyvich Ivlev (russian: Владимир Сергеевич Ивлев; born 28 February 1990) is a Russian professional basketball player with CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. He also represents the senior Russian national team. ...

, 11

, 12

, 13

, 15

, 20

, 22

, 30

Mikhail Kulagin Mikhail Andreyevich Kulagin (Russian: Михаил Андреевич Кулагин; born 4 August 1994) is a Russian professional basketball player for UNICS Kazan of the VTB United League. He is a 1.92 m (6' 3") tall point guard- shooting gua ...

, 41

(Coach:

) ---- 2019 FIBA World Cup: finished 12th among 32 teams 2

Andrei Sopin Andrei Sopin (born July 7, 1997) is a Russian professional basketball player, who plays in the senior Russia national basketball team. Russian national team Sopin was a member of the Russian junior national teams. With Russia's junior national t ...

, 3

, 4 Evgeny Baburin, 6 Grigory Motovilov, 7

, 8

, 11

, 12

, 20

, 30

, 31

, 41

(Coach:

)

Kit

Manufacturer

1993–2015:

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

2015–March 1, 2022:

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

(deal suspended by Adidas in response to the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

)Russia , EuroBasket 2015 - PHOTO GALLERY
eurobasket2015.org, Retrieved 12 October 2015.
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Sponsor

2015–present:

Norilsk Nickel Norilsk Nickel (russian: ГМК «Норильский никель»), or Nornickel, is a Russian nickel and palladium mining and smelting company. Its largest operations are located in the Norilsk–Talnakh area near the Yenisei River in the no ...

References

External links

Official website

Russia
at FIBA site
Russian National Team - Men
at Eurobasket.com

at FIBA Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Russia National Basketball Team Men's national basketball teams FIBA EuroBasket-winning countries 1992 establishments in Russia

History

Early history (1992–2000)

Decline (2000–2006)

Blatt era (2006–2012)

Corruption in the RBF and decline (2012–2016)

Return to European success; Ban (2016–)

Honours

Medals table (since 1992)

Competitive record

FIBA World Cup

Olympic Games

FIBA Stanković Continental Champions' Cup

EuroBasket

Results and fixtures

2021

2022

Team

Current roster

Depth chart

Notable players

Head coach position

Past rosters

Kit

Manufacturer

Sponsor

See also

References

External links