The following are the basketball events of the year 2002 throughout the world.
Collegiate
- Combined
- Men
- Women
- Naismith College Player of the Year: Sue Bird, Connecticut
- Naismith College Coach of the Year: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
- Wade Trophy: Sue Bird, Connecticut
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award: Sheila Lambert, Baylor
- Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year: Sue Bird, Connecticut
- NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player: Swin Cash, UConn
- Basketball Academic All-America Team: Stacey Dales-Schuman, Oklahoma
- Carol Eckman Award: Barbara Stevens, Bentley College
- Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year: Brenda Oldfield, Minnesota
- List of Senior CLASS Award women's basketball winners: Sue Bird, Connecticut
- Nancy Lieberman Award: Sue Bird, Connecticut
- Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball: Billie Moore
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- January 6 — Fred Taylor, Hall of Fame coach of the 1960 National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes (born 1924)
- January 7 — Geoff Crompton, American NBA player (born 1955)
- January 18 — Alex Hannum, Hall of Fame pro basketball coach (born 1923)
- January 26 — Milt Ticco, American NBL player (born 1922)
- February 2 — Ed Jucker, American college coach (Cincinnati) (born 1916)
- February 13 — Bob Gerber, American NBL player (born 1916)
- February 21 — Gene Sullivan, American college coach (Loyola (Illinois)) (born 1931)
- March 11 — Al Bonniwell, American NBL player (Akron Firestone Non-Skids) (born 1911)
- March 18 — Don Betourne, American NBL player and coach (Kankakee Gallagher Trojans) (born 1915)
- May 5 — Jimmy Smith, American college All-American (Steubenville) (born 1934)
- June 3 — Cecil Hankins, NBA player (St. Louis Bombers, Boston Celtics) (born 1922)
- June 22 — Bobby Roberts, American college coach (Clemson).[3]
- July 7 — Bison Dele, NBA player (born 1969)
- July 17 — Ubiratan Pereira Maciel, Hall of Fame Brazilian basketball player (born 1944)
- July 27 — Billy McCann, 82, American college coach (Hampden–Sydney, Washington and Lee, Virginia).[4]
- August 8 — Chick Hearn, television and radio announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers (born 1916)
- September 2 — Abe Lemons, American college coach (Oklahoma City, Texas) (born 1922)
- September 7 — Edward Spotovich, American NBL player (born 1916)
- September 14 — Jim Barnes, Former #1 overall NBA draft pick and 1964 Olympic Gold medalist (born 1941)
- September 23 — Jule Rivlin, American NBL player (Akron Goodyear Wingfoots, Toledo Jeeps) and college coach (Marshall) (born 1917)
- December 17 — Bobby Joe Hill, American college national champion at Texas Western (1966) (born 1943)
- December 17 — Hank Luisetti, college basketball player and inventor of the layup; first player to score 50 points in a game (born 1916)
Media related to 2002 in basketball at Wikimedia Commons