About

The Russian national basketball team (Russian: Мужская сборная России по баскетболу) is organized and run by the Russian Basketball Federation (RBF). The team came into existence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and its basketball team. In the post-Soviet era, the Russian team consisting of Soviet players under the guidance of Sergei Belov stayed one of the strongest in the world, winning the second place twice in a row at the World Cup and at their EuroBasket debut, EuroBasket 1993. However, Belov's departure saw Russia facing multiple disappointments, until David Blatt took over as head coach. Under his guidance, the Russian team were champions at EuroBasket 2007 and also won bronze medals at EuroBasket 2011 and the 2012 Summer Olympics. After Blatt left the staff, Russian national basketball saw a deep crisis due to corruption in the RBF and the federation's conflict with FIBA. The team performed poorly, partly due to a vast majority of top players rejecting participation. Following a failed performance at EuroBasket 2015, team 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 Sergei Bazarevich.