1996 in basketball

Championships

Men
NCAA
Division I: Kentucky 76, Syracuse 67
NIT: University of Nebraska def. St. Joseph's University
Division II: Fort Hays State University 70, Northern Kentucky University 63
Division III: Rowan University 100, Hope College 93
NAIA
Division I Oklahoma City University 86, Georgetown (Ky.) 80
Division II Albertson (Idaho) 81, Whitworth (Wash.) 72 OT
NJCAA
Division I Sullivan College, Louisville, KY 103, Allegany CC, Cumberland, MD 98 O/T
Division II Penn Valley CC, Mo. 93, Kishwukee CC, Ill. 88
Division III Sullivan County CC 74, Gloucester County College 63
Women
NCAA
Division I: University of Tennessee 83, University of Georgia 65
Division II: North Dakota State 104, Shippensburg 78
Division III: Wis.-Oshkosh 66 Mount Union 50
NAIA
Division I: Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 80, Southeastern Oklahoma State University 79
Division II Western Oregon 80, Huron (S.D.) 77
NJCAA{{cite web|title=NJCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK|url=http://www.njcaa.org/Record%20Books/Basketball%20%28Women%27s%29/Women%27s%20Basketball%20Record%20Book.pdf|work=NJCAA|accessdate=10 Oct 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141014235109/http://www.njcaa.org/Record%20Books/Basketball%20%28Women%27s%29/Women%27s%20Basketball%20Record%20Book.pdf|archive-date=2014-10-14|url-status=dead}}
Division I Trinity Valley CC 69, Independence CC 55
Division II Lansing CC 74, Kankakee CC 68
Division III Central Lakes College-Brainerd 71, Monroe CC 57

Class of 1996:{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Hall of Famers|url=http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers-index/|work=Basketball Hall of Fame|publisher=|accessdate=12 Oct 2014}}
Krešimir Ćosić
George Gervin
Gail Goodrich
Nancy Lieberman
David Thompson
George Yardley

January 13 — Dean Kelley, American national college champion at Kansas (1952), Olympic gold medalist (1952) (born 1931)
May 18 — Chet Forte, All-American college player (Columbia) (born 1935)
June 14 — Jack Ragland, American Olympic gold medalist (1936) (born 1913)
July 16 — Harold E. Foster, Hall of Fame player and Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball head coach (born 1906)
July 29 — Lauren "Laddie" Gale, Hall of Fame player for the Oregon Ducks men's basketball and early professional (born 1917)
August 10 — Derek Smith, American NBA player (born 1961)
September 25 — Red Mihalik, Hall of Fame NBA, NCAA and Olympic referee (born 1916)