Soviet Union national basketball team
| Soviet Union | |||
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| FIBA ranking | defunct | ||
| Joined FIBA | 1923 | ||
| FIBA zone | FIBA Europe | ||
| National federation | Soviet Basketball Federation | ||
| Coach | none | ||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Appearances | 9 | ||
| Medals |
 Gold: 1972, 1988 Silver: 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964 Bronze: 1968, 1976, 1980
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| FIBA World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 9 | ||
| Medals |
 Gold 1967, 1974, 1982 Silver 1978, 1986, 1990 Bronze 1963, 1970
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| FIBA EuroBasket | |||
| Appearances | 21 | ||
| Medals |
 Gold: 1947, 1951, 1953, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1979, 1981, 1985 Silver 1975, 1977, 1987 Bronze 1955, 1973, 1983, 1989
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| Uniforms | |||
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The Soviet national basketball team was the basketball side that represented the Soviet Union in international competitions. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the successor countries all set up their own national teams. Based on the number of titles, the basketball program of the former Soviet Union remains one of the most successful in the history of international basketball competitions.
The Soviets first competed in the European championship at EuroBasket 1947. They quickly established their dominance of the European field, winning both preliminary round games, all three semifinal round games, and the championship match against defending gold medallists Czechoslovakia. The Soviets outscored their opponents by an aggregate 126 points over their 6 wins, an average margin of victory of 21 points.
After refusing to host EuroBasket 1949 as was FIBA Europe's expectation of the Soviet Union and skipping the tournament entirely, the Soviets returned to European championships in EuroBasket 1951. They dominated the early portions of the tournament, outscoring opponents 312-117 in their four preliminary round wins. The three games of the semifinal round also posed little problem for the Soviet team, as the closest any opponent came was the Czechoslovak team losing by only 16. In the first game of the final round, which was essentially a semifinal game, the Soviets defeated Bulgaria 72-54 to advance to the championship game, a rematch against Czechoslovakia.
In that match, the Soviet team faced its first true close test in European play. A 44-44 tie was broken by Soviet Ilmar Kullam from the free throw line with 1 second left on the clock to give the Soviets a 45-44 win. Even that was called into question, however, as one of the referees initially signaled that Kullam had stepped on the free throw line during the shot and therefore the point would be disallowed. After consultation with another referee, however, the free throw was upheld and the Soviets had won their second European championship.
The Soviets maintained their domination at EuroBasket 1953, which they hosted in Moscow. They had no trouble in a 3-0 preliminary round that included a 104-point slaughter of Denmark. An eight-team final round also posed little difficulty for the squad, with the closest of the 7 wins being a 29-24 slog against Hungary as the Soviets extended their streak to 3 championships with 25 wins and no losses.
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