The Best NON-MAJOR International Tournaments

[Federoy]

Obviously the Olympic Games, World Championships and Regional/Zone qualifiers are the gold standard by which national teams rate their success, but recently I've been thinking what is the best non-major tournament in the world? I'll let the forum decide.

[alermac]

i voted for Diamond Ball, although there isn't a true difference between it and the Stankovic Cup.

[Dtown]

I'd say Diamond ball, the difference between it and the Stankovic Cup is since it's right before the Olympics you'll generally see more talented teams trying to get in gear for the games.

[cod3breaker]

Jones Cup. Because that's the only NON-MAJOR tournament I have watched so far.

[bbbasketball]

i voted to FIBA Diamond Ball

[kb0041]

I vote Jones Cup! Because like codbreaker, that's the only one I have watched so far. haha. Maybe because that is the only tournament my beloved Philippines join among those mentioned. haha. But seriously if the level of competition would be the gauge, I would say its the Stankovic Cup and the Diamond Ball.

[sinobball]

Acropolis Cup (Athens, GRE)
Tito Marchand Cup (San Juan, PUR)
Bormio International Tournament (Bormio, ITA)

I've never heard of these 3 tournaments. Are they regional?


The Stankovic Cup is always held in China. The quality seems to drop every year. Efes Pilsen Cup is better I think, because a lot of teams use it to practice for Eurobasket, WBC etc.

Jones Cup probably has the longest history. In the 80s or 90s it was well-respected and even had NBA players play in it, but now it's just a practice tournament for 2nd tier Asian teams. Although last year a lot of Asian NTs went to play before the Asian Championship, hope the trend continues.

Diamond Ball Cup is probably of the highest quality, because it's essentially pre-Olympic tournament (held every 4 years).

[c_d]

Bormio International Tournament (Bormio, ITA)

Is this the same as the Diego Gianatti Tournament?

[Federoy]

Is this the same as the Diego Gianatti Tournament?

Yes. The Diego Gianatti Tournament is the official title, though I've seen it refered to as Bormio International Tournament.

[Federoy]

Acropolis Cup (Athens, GRE)
Tito Marchand Cup (San Juan, PUR)
Bormio International Tournament (Bormio, ITA)

The Acropolis Cup is an Athens-based tournament that has been played since 1986, so it's been established for quite some time. It's not just a regional tournament. Teams from outside Europe have participated in it (Brazil, Australia, Japan etc.). It has a round robin format to determine a champion.

The Tito Marchand Cup is a relatively new non-major tournament (started in 2007). It's a regional, Americas Zone four team round robin tournament. It's considered a tune-up invitational for teams participating in the FIBA Americas Tournament.

Bormio International Tournament (or Diego Gianatti Tournament) is typically played early in the national team preperation phase, usually around mid to late June. It's based in the resort town of Bormio and features teams mainly from Europe but also some non-European teams. The tournament has four teams, playing in a single but sometimes double round robin format.