- McDonald's Championship
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McDonald's Championship Sport Basketball Founded 1987 No. of teams 8 Country(ies) Worldwide Ceased 1999 Last champion(s) San Antonio Spurs
The McDonald's Championship (sometimes called the McDonald's Open) was an international men's basketball cup competition played between the champions of the continental club competitions and an NBA invitee. The McDonald's Championship succeeded the Intercontinental Cup.
In each of the nine years the McDonald's Championship was held the title was won by a team from the NBA, but twice by a close margin. The first time was in the semifinals in 1990, when the New York Knicks trailed Italian club Scavolini Pesaro by three points (107-104) with only 30 seconds on the clock. After successfully defending, the Knicks won possession and Gerald Wilkins netted a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. The other close game came the following year in 1991, when the Los Angeles Lakers defeated Spanish champions Joventut Badalona by just two points (116-114).
The McDonald's Championship was discontinued after 1999, but the FIBA World Club Championship was set to open in 2010 and will be similarly contested by all the continental champions. Although no team from the NBA will be invited in 2010, FIBA intends to invite the NBA winner in subsequent years.[1]
Contents
Format
After the first tournament (3 teams championship format), the competition was disputed in a single elimination format, with the winners of the matches advancing to the next round.
Rules
The competition combined rules of both the NBA and the European leagues. [2]
List of champions
Year Host Champion Runner-up Third Fourth 1987 Milwaukee
Milwaukee Bucks
Soviet Union
Tracer Milano
Only 3 teams 1988 Madrid
Boston Celtics
Real Madrid
Yugoslavia
Scavolini Pesaro
1989 Rome
Denver Nuggets
Jugoplastika Split
Philips Milano
FC Barcelona
1990 Barcelona
New York Knicks
Pop 84 Split
FC Barcelona
Scavolini Pesaro
1991 Paris
Los Angeles Lakers
Joventut Badalona
CSP Limoges
Slobodna Dalmacija Split
1993 Munich
Phoenix Suns
Buckler Bologna
Real Madrid
CSP Limoges
1995 London
Houston Rockets
Buckler Bologna
Perth Wildcats
Real Madrid
1997 Paris
Chicago Bulls
Olympiacos Piraeus
Atenas de Córdoba
Paris Basket Racing
1999 Milan
San Antonio Spurs
Vasco da Gama
Žalgiris Kaunas
Varese Roosters
MVPs
Year Player Team 1987 Terry Cummings
Milwaukee Bucks
1988 Larry Bird
Boston Celtics
1989 Walter Davis
Denver Nuggets
1990 Patrick Ewing
New York Knicks
1991 Magic Johnson
Los Angeles Lakers
1993 Charles Barkley
Phoenix Suns
1995 Clyde Drexler
Houston Rockets
1997 Michael Jordan
Chicago Bulls
1999 Tim Duncan
San Antonio Spurs
Titles by team
Club Titles Boston Celtics
1 Chicago Bulls
1 Denver Nuggets
1 Houston Rockets
1 Los Angeles Lakers
1 Milwaukee Bucks
1 New York Knicks
1 Phoenix Suns
1 San Antonio Spurs
1 Titles by country
Country Titles United States
9 References
- ^ New club basketball championship to debut in 2010 - Associated Press (December 9, 2008) (retrieved on May 7, 2007)
- ^ SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; Nuggets in Rome Meet - The New York Times (July 5, 1989) (retrieved on September 6, 2006)
See also
External links
NBA vs FIBA Euroleague American Tour · McDonald's Championship · NBA Europe Live Tour · List of NBA vs FIBA games · FIBA World Club Championship · Naismith CupMcDonald's Championship Categories:- McDonald's Championship
- Recurring sporting events established in 1987
- Recurring events disestablished in 1999
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