1996–97 FIBA EuroLeague

The 1996–97 FIBA EuroLeague was the 40th installment of the European top-tier level professional club competition for basketball clubs (now called simply EuroLeague). It was organized by FIBA Europe. It began on September 19, 1996, and ended on April 24, 1997. The competition's Final Four was held at Rome.

In the previous 5 seasons of the competition, the competition's official name was FIBA European League, or shortened to FIBA EuroLeague. This season was the first edition of the competition that took the shortened name of FIBA EuroLeague, as the league's official name.

Competition system

24 teams (the national domestic league champions from the best leagues, and a variable number of other clubs from the most important national domestic leagues). The competition culminated in a Final Four.

Country ranking

For the 1996–1997 EuroLeague, the countries are allocated places according to their place on the FIBA country rankings, which takes into account their performance in European competitions from 1993–94 to 1995–96.

Team allocation

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.: League position after Playoffs

Preliminary round

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Qualification round

(The individual scores and standings of the First stage are accumulated in the Qualification round)

If one or more clubs are level on won-lost record, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:

Head-to-head record in matches between the tied clubs

Overall point difference in games between the tied clubs

Overall point difference in all group matches (first tiebreaker if tied clubs are not in the same group)

Points scored in all group matches

Sum of quotients of points scored and points allowed in each group match

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Playoffs

Bracket

Teams in bold advanced to the next round.