What is the first WC you remember?

[Valexander]

What is the first WC you remember watching and your memories as kids?

Although I have some fade memories from Argentina, I wouldn’t say I ve watched it. Just my father and a bunch of relatives at the living room and me mostly bored

My first is WC 94.

I remember I was on vacations at my village and all the family and cousins woke up one another as games were mostly after midnight in Greece. Of course highlight game Greece against USA 4.00 in the morning everyone awake and being happy and laughing that we had this experience no matter the outcome.

We were all mad back in Greece with Fasoulas who was the reason that coach was fired just before the start of the WC and You could almost here the “f” words from almost every miss from the FT line from the “Spider-Man”.

In the end with his presence on that tournament he established himself as the best C in Greece for the years to come..

I do remember that Croatia made me feel that there is a smaller dream team apart from the original one.

Finally that tournament and José piculin Ortiz made me count Puerto Rico as an American powerhouse like forever no matter the roster.

[Levenspiel]

the first was 1998 for me, but the one I watched with a passion was 2002 Indianapolis, as Turkey was participating for the first time. The Brazil game will be unforgettable forever, it still hurts to remember Machado's buzzer beater three.

apart from that I was mesmerized by the beauty of basketball Argentina was playing... and I felt they were robbed in the final.

[juli_rc]

I remember the 2002 WC in Indianapolis...

The national football team failure to advance to the knockout stage, and the economy of the country was really bad (like almost always in Argentina)

So the basketball team come to that tournament with full, young and talented squad (only loss the best player at that time: Marcelo Nicola).

Easy win agaist Venezuela, Russia and New Zeland on the group.
In second round easy wins against China, and not so easy against Germany.
And the came the unbeaten team of NBA players... Another victory.

Easy win in QF against Brazil.
Big win against Germany in SM (injury of Ginobili and out of the final).
Controversial lost in OT in the final against Yugoslavia...

What a golden era!

[juli_rc]

the first was 1998 for me, but the one I watched with a passion was 2002 Indianapolis, as Turkey was participating for the first time. The Brazil game will be unforgettable forever, it still hurts to remember Machado's buzzer beater three.

apart from that I was mesmerized by the beauty of basketball Argentina was playing... and I felt they were robbed in the final.

Marcelinho Machado what a player! That Argentine almost always beat Brazil (only lost in 2014), but Brazil always have a talented team.
I remember a great tournament from Mehmet Okur, Turkcan and Turkoglu!

[Valexander]

I remember the 2002 WC in Indianapolis...

The national football team failure to advance to the knockout stage, and the economy of the country was really bad (like almost always in Argentina)

So the basketball team come to that tournament with full, young and talented squad (only loss the best player at that time: Marcelo Nicola).

Easy win agaist Venezuela, Russia and New Zeland on the group.
In second round easy wins against China, and not so easy against Germany.
And the came the unbeaten team of NBA players... Another victory.

Easy win in QF against Brazil.
Big win against Germany in SM (injury of Ginobili and out of the final).
Controversial lost in OT in the final against Yugoslavia...

What a golden era!

Although 2002 Greece didn’t participated I watched the final phase and I remember how embarassed I was that the ref was Greek

[usagre]

The 1986 tournament. I was 14 years old and here in the US it was mainly covered as part of the initial Goodwill Games.
Cable television had just become available for the first time in my neighborhood in Queens and I watched a lot of the games even some not involving the US. The USA -Soviet Union Final during this Cold War era was a big deal and I remember NBA retired legends Bill Russell and Rick Barry doing the TV commentary along with Coach Bob Knight. Due to the Soviet 1984 Olympic boycott this matchup was highly anticipated and it was my first look at Arvydas Sabonis. I remember watching the wild semifinal game between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union and was getting disappointed that the matchup would not materialize since it looked very bleak for the Soviets late in that game. I also didn’t want to see another matchup with Yugoslavia since that game had already taken place earlier in the tournament. The final was a great game with a USA team consisting mainly of Bouges, Kenny Smith, Derrick Mickey, Charles Smith and David Robinson. All young and somewhat less heralded collegians. This team was no where near the powerhouse of Jordan, Ewing, Mullin, Perkins and others from the Olympics two years earlier. But they played a great game with a Tommy Amaker having a big game filling in for the injured Steve Kerr who blew out his knee in the semifinal against Brazil. The Robinson-Sabonis matchup was epic with both players having their moments. The USA almost blew a big lead in the final minutes but a driving Kenny Smith layup over Sabonis in the final minute put the USA up 4. The US went Dean Smith style 4 corners, the jet beat his man off the dribble and got over the giant Sabonis. The Us mismanaged the final seconds and the Soviets actually got up a prayer to win it but it was not to be. I was so disappointed 4 years later during the 1990 tournament when there was absolute zero tv coverage. Living in NYC I had access to a Mexican channel that showed some of the games.

[Dtown]

94 Dream Team II

I was 9, got my first taste of international basketball in 92, but this time they actually included one of Detroit Pistons for the team, Joe Dumars! So I was completely invested.

[christodoulou76]

1994. Big Greek crowds in Toronto, eager for a success after the Greek NT debacle at the football world cup earlier that summer. The Greek team was stingy on defense, couldn't score much. I remember Sigalas was good in that tournament. We made it to the semifinals. A big success but also frustrating to just miss out on a medal (something that would be repeated in future tournaments). Key match was the close victory over Canada with Greek-Canadians in a difficult spot but choosing to root for Greece anyway.

[Valexander]

The 1986 tournament. I was 14 years old and here in the US it was mainly covered as part of the initial Goodwill Games.
Cable television had just become available for the first time in my neighborhood in Queens and I watched a lot of the games even some not involving the US. The USA -Soviet Union Final during this Cold War era was a big deal and I remember NBA retired legends Bill Russell and Rick Barry doing the TV commentary along with Coach Bob Knight. Due to the Soviet 1984 Olympic boycott this matchup was highly anticipated and it was my first look at Arvydas Sabonis. I remember watching the wild semifinal game between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union and was getting disappointed that the matchup would not materialize since it looked very bleak for the Soviets late in that game. I also didn’t want to see another matchup with Yugoslavia since that game had already taken place earlier in the tournament. The final was a great game with a USA team consisting mainly of Bouges, Kenny Smith, Derrick Mickey, Charles Smith and David Robinson. All young and somewhat less heralded collegians. This team was no where near the powerhouse of Jordan, Ewing, Mullin, Perkins and others from the Olympics two years earlier. But they played a great game with a Tommy Amaker having a big game filling in for the injured Steve Kerr who blew out his knee in the semifinal against Brazil. The Robinson-Sabonis matchup was epic with both players having their moments. The USA almost blew a big lead in the final minutes but a driving Kenny Smith layup over Sabonis in the final minute put the USA up 4. The US went Dean Smith style 4 corners, the jet beat his man off the dribble and got over the giant Sabonis. The Us mismanaged the final seconds and the Soviets actually got up a prayer to win it but it was not to be. I was so disappointed 4 years later during the 1990 tournament when there was absolute zero tv coverage. Living in NYC I had access to a Mexican channel that showed some of the games.

That cold-war tournaments with US USSR and Yugoslavia would have been something else. I have only watched some documentaries but they were mostly dedicated in Greek basketball history, and not the whole tournament. I remember also some scenes from the vogues-Drazen match up, as a part of a documentary dedicated to maggsy’s career

[usagre]

Great thread Valexander. I love hearing people reminiscing and especially the settings and little details of their stories.

[CoachZ]

The first WC I followed and cheered on was 1990 in Argentina. Oh what a sight was that to see for a little kid. Just a year earlier I started playing basketball in the youth setups of a local club, amazed by that demolishing crew in 1989 in Zagreb, when they blew everyone away and still hold a record for the largest average margin on victories on Eurobasket. Expectations were skyhigh for the 1990 in Argentina and we had a heck of a team:

Guards - Drazen Petrovic, Vladimir Perasovic, Jure Zdovc, Zeljko Obradovic, Arijan Komazec
Forwards - Toni Kukoc, Zarko Paspalj, Zoran Cutura, Radovan Curcic
Centers - Vlade Divac, Zoran Savic, Zoran Jovanovic

Coached by Duda Ivkovic. I remember as a kid how pissed I was to see us lose to Puerto Rico in the group stage, we played a terrible game. The team was very complacent at the beginning of the tournament, we were not playing good basketball. It was a heck of a wakeup call. In the second group phase, the team gelled and we blew out Brazil by 20+, Soviet Union by 20+ and Greece I believe by 10 or so. We were riding high. I remember watching Kukoc glide on the court, it was such a sight to see. To me, Tony Kukoc is the most talented player I have ever seen play from old Yugoslavia. I am not saying he is the best (a lot of factors came into play here), but in terms of pure talent, clutch, everything it was Toni.

The Semis was a game against the last Team USA without NBA stars which included Alonzo Mourning, Kenny Anderson, Christian Laetner. It was the best game in the tournament, but we were in a class of our own. The finals was just another beatdown of USSR by 15+. It was a joy to watch. Free flowing basketball, high tempo for that time and a lot of creativity all over the floor. We had no players in the Top 15 scorers of the tournament if I remember right. Something crazy like 6 players averaging double figures...

[Adon]

The 1986 tournament. I was 14 years old and here in the US it was mainly covered as part of the initial Goodwill Games.
Cable television had just become available for the first time in my neighborhood in Queens and I watched a lot of the games even some not involving the US. The USA -Soviet Union Final during this Cold War era was a big deal and I remember NBA retired legends Bill Russell and Rick Barry doing the TV commentary along with Coach Bob Knight. Due to the Soviet 1984 Olympic boycott this matchup was highly anticipated and it was my first look at Arvydas Sabonis. I remember watching the wild semifinal game between Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union and was getting disappointed that the matchup would not materialize since it looked very bleak for the Soviets late in that game. I also didn’t want to see another matchup with Yugoslavia since that game had already taken place earlier in the tournament. The final was a great game with a USA team consisting mainly of Bouges, Kenny Smith, Derrick Mickey, Charles Smith and David Robinson. All young and somewhat less heralded collegians. This team was no where near the powerhouse of Jordan, Ewing, Mullin, Perkins and others from the Olympics two years earlier. But they played a great game with a Tommy Amaker having a big game filling in for the injured Steve Kerr who blew out his knee in the semifinal against Brazil. The Robinson-Sabonis matchup was epic with both players having their moments. The USA almost blew a big lead in the final minutes but a driving Kenny Smith layup over Sabonis in the final minute put the USA up 4. The US went Dean Smith style 4 corners, the jet beat his man off the dribble and got over the giant Sabonis. The Us mismanaged the final seconds and the Soviets actually got up a prayer to win it but it was not to be. I was so disappointed 4 years later during the 1990 tournament when there was absolute zero tv coverage. Living in NYC I had access to a Mexican channel that showed some of the games.

I suspected that we are among the oldest here , especially after the discussion for Drazen and PAO. The 1986 WC in Spain was my first also! In that tournament Greece was mediocre at best but Galis was the top scorer in the end. Drazen, Oscar, Sabonis and many other superstars there. Great times!

[CoachZ]

I suspected that we are among the oldest here , especially after the discussion for Drazen and PAO. The 1986 WC in Spain was my first also! In that tournament Greece was mediocre at best but Galis was the top scorer in the end. Drazen, Oscar, Sabonis and many other superstars there. Great times!

I vaguely remember it, since I was really tiny then, but I remember my dad going nuts in the game versus the Soviets and yelling at Divac

[usagre]

That cold-war tournaments with US USSR and Yugoslavia would have been something else. I have only watched some documentaries but they were mostly dedicated in Greek basketball history, and not the whole tournament. I remember also some scenes from the vogues-Drazen match up, as a part of a documentary dedicated to maggsy’s career

Absolutely it was fantastic. The 1986 and 1988 Olympics. 1990 not so much because although still the Soviet Union in name the Lithuanians did not participate.
Yeah Muggsys size was never seen before and he harassed Drazen at the beginning of the game. But truth be told he shot absolutely horrible in that tourney and was a bit of a turnover machine. But his legend was definitely born in that tournament.

[Adon]

I vaguely remember it, since I was really tiny then, but I remember my dad going nuts in the game versus the Soviets and yelling at Divac

To be honest, I don't remember Divac in that tournament. Probably he was a rookie back then.