2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Kyle Busch was awarded the pole after qualifying was rained out and the field was set by points. Busch was able to get the pole due to him being the first seed in "The Chase." At the start of the race, Busch led the first few laps. Martin Truex Jr. then took the lead from Busch and led for a while. After a caution, Jimmie Johnson stayed off of pit road and assumed the race lead. On the next caution, Johnson was able to get off pit road first and continued to lead.


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
He led the most laps, 119 of the 270. Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott took the lead from Johnson. The final round of green flag pit stops began with 35 laps to go. Johnson was penalized for speeding on pit road. Elliott regained the lead and was pulling away to victory until Michael McDowell had a tire go down, sending the race into overtime. Ryan Blaney, Kasey Kahne, and Carl Edwards all stayed off pit road. On the restart, Truex took the lead from Blaney and held off Joey Logano to score his third win of the season and advancing to the next round of "The Chase."


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Carl Edwards started on pole. Martin Truex Jr. dominated the race, leading 141 laps. It was green for most of the race. Defending race winner Matt Kenseth also led a bunch of laps. Only one caution took place in the first place half of the race and only four cautions in the second half. One of them saw Trevor Bayne hit the wall hard. On that restart, Truex dropped a few spots. The next caution saw Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Reed Sorenson make contact. On that restart, Kevin Harvick took the lead from Kenseth and held off the rest of the field to score his third win of the season, his first at New Hampshire since 2006, and advance to the next round of "The Chase."


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Brad Keselowski was awarded the pole after qualifying was rained out and the field was set by points. Keselowski led the first few laps until he lost it to Martin Truex Jr.. Kyle Busch then found his way to the lead. Kevin Harvick had trouble early after he suffered a broken track bar and had to go to the garage. Kyle Larson had problems with his entry after losing power. Larson's Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Jamie McMurray began having problems and his engine finally expired.


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Jimmie Johnson took the lead and led about 90 laps until he received a pit road penalty for his crewmen over the wall to soon. Due to this, Truex regained the lead and had a 9-second lead over Kyle Busch. Truex continued on to score his fourth win of the season and second at Dover. McMurray, Tony Stewart, Chris Buescher, and Larson were eliminated from "The Chase."


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Kevin Harvick started on pole. Due to rain from Hurricane Matthew, the race was postponed from Saturday night until Sunday afternoon. Multiple Chase drivers had problems during the race. Pole-sitter Harvick had electrical problems, which took him out of the race. Joey Logano would hit the wall hard and have to go to the garage, but was able to get back on the track 78 laps down.


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Chase Elliott had a dominant car until he was taken out of the race from a wreck on a restart when Austin Dillon couldn't get going and spun out taking out Elliott, Brian Scott, and Paul Menard. Denny Hamlin also had a dominant car, but blew an engine late in the race. Martin Truex Jr. couldn't accelerate off pit road and lost some spots. Jimmie Johnson had a dominant car as well and he was able to hold off Matt Kenseth to get his eighth career win at Charlotte and his third win of the season to advance to the "Round of 8" in "The Chase."


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Matt Kenseth started on pole. Kenseth led early until he got into the wall. Kevin Harvick took the lead and led until Chase Elliott took the lead. Elliott had a tire rub and lost the lead. Martin Truex Jr. had a great race until his team didn't get enough fuel in the car and then began experiencing fuel cell issues. Brad Keselowski was running in the top 10 when he made contact with Denny Hamlin and went spinning in the grass, destroying the front end of his car. Carl Edwards got the lead and led some laps.


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Keselowski was able to get back on the track, but his engine expired when he returned to the race. Austin Dillon took two tires on pit road and getting off before Edwards. Regan Smith slammed into the wall, bringing out the caution. On the restart, Harvick took the lead from Edwards and held him off to score his fourth win of the season and advance to the next round in "The Chase."


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Martin Truex Jr. started on pole. Truex didn't last long in the race because his engine expired early. A wreck took place which involved Greg Biffle, Jeffrey Earnhardt, and Casey Mears. Brad Keselowski, who was in a must win situation, dominated the race. However, debris on the grille caused Keselowski to overheat and his engine finally expired. After Keselowski was taken out, his teammate Joey Logano took control over the race. Kasey Kahne crashed late in the race, setting up a restart. On the restart, Alex Bowman spun, sending the race into overtime. On the restart, Logano held off Brian Scott to win get his second win of the season and his second consecutive Chase Talladega victory. Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, and Martin Truex Jr. were eliminated from "The Chase."


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Martin Truex Jr. started on pole. Truex led 144 laps of the race. During the race, Chase contenders Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin made contact sending Johnson to pit road with left-front damage. Matt Kenseth found his way to the lead and led the most laps. Carl Edwards had a tire go down and it brought out the caution, creating scoring issues. On the restart, Johnson took the lead from Hamlin and led the rest of the race and got his fourth win of the season and advance to the "Championship 4" at Homestead.


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Austin Dillon won the pole. The race was delayed due to rain, but it would eventually start over six hours late. Joey Logano dominated the race and led the most laps. Martin Truex Jr. and Carl Edwards also ran up front. Both had problems with their cars and almost took each other out on pit road. Dillon crashed into the wall after contact with Kevin Harvick and it also involved Brian Scott and Casey Mears. Edwards was able to get off pit road ahead of Truex and was holding off Logano as rain was heading towards the track. It began to rain and the race was called official and Edwards was awarded his third win of the season and give him a spot in the "Championship 4" at Homestead.


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Alex Bowman, who is still filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first career pole. Bowman dominated the race by leading 193 laps. Chase contenders  Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, and Matt Kenseth all led throughout the race. Johnson was penalized, which knocked him out of the lead and put him a lap down, but a wreck with Austin Dillon took him out of the race. Kenseth was on his way to a victory, but Michael McDowell wrecked and the caution came out with two laps to go.


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
On the restart,  Kyle Busch got in to Bowman and spun Kenseth, which knocked him out of the lead. On the restart, Logano pulled away from Kyle Busch to grab his third win of the season and to advance to the championship race at Homestead. With their wins Logano, Johnson, and Edwards made it to the championship race while Kyle Busch made it in on points. Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Kenseth, and  Kurt Busch were eliminated.


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
Jimmie Johnson started form tail end of the field. Kevin Harvick won the pole. Harvick had the dominant car early in the race. Chase contenders Joey Logano and Carl Edwards had led during the race. Kyle Busch had a tire go down and had to make an unscheduled pit stop and went a lap down, but gained the lap back. Kyle Larson had the dominant car in the second half of the race and led the most laps. Edwards and Kyle Busch were battling for the championship lead until Dylan Lupton brought out the caution.


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Season summary, Race reports
On the restart, Logano got a great restart and Edwards blocked Logano and caused Edwards to crash into the wall and end his championship hopes in a multicar wreck that brought out the red flag. It brought the championship race down to Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson. On the restart, Logano got up to third and the caution came out for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. In an overtime finish, Johnson took the lead from Larson and won the race for his first career victory at Homestead and his seventh Sprint Cup series championship, tying Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty for most championships all-time.


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Results and standings, Drivers' Championship
(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by final practice results or owner's points. * – Most laps led. . – Eliminated after Round of 16. – Eliminated after Round of 12. – Eliminated after Round of 8


2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Media coverage
2016 marked the second year of NASCAR's broadcast deal with Fox and NBC. The first 16 events were broadcast on either Fox or FS1, and the final 20 events were shared between NBC and NBCSN. However, the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International was aired on USA Network due to NBC's coverage of the 2016 Summer Olympics. In Canada, TSN televised each race, including the qualifying races for the Daytona 500 and exhibition races, under the name NASCAR on TSN. TSN also had coverage of practice and qualifying for each race. In Latin America, except Brazil, all races were broadcast by Fox Sports, on their Fox Sports 3 channel (previously known as SPEED Latin America). In Brazil, most races were broadcast by Fox Sports, on their Fox Sports 2 channel.


2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
The 2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is the eighth Racecar Euro Series season, and the fourth under the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series branding. Ander Vilariño enters the season as the defending champion, although he does not defend his title.


2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, Rules changes
The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series presented a new technical package at the Circuit Zolder Finals on October 2, 2015. The package includes improvements to the braking system, suspensions and a revised aerodynamic configuration. The Chevrolet SS body was unveiled at Zolder, while the Ford Mustang body made its debut on December 5, 2015 in a testing session at Fontenay Le Comte, France.


2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, Standings, Elite 1
(key) Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Fastest lap. * – Most laps led.


2016 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, Standings, Elite 2
(key) Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Fastest lap. * – Most laps led.


2016 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour
The 2016 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour was the thirty-second season of the Whelen Modified Tour (WMT). It began with the Icebreaker 150 at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on April 10 and concluded with the Sunoco World Series 150 at the same venue on October 16. Doug Coby entered the season as the defending Drivers' Champion and he won the championship for the fourth time, twelve points in front of Justin Bonsignore. Melissa Fifield, the only female driver to compete in the series in 2016, was voted by the fans as the most popular driver for the third consecutive year.


2016 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Schedule
The Whelen All-Star Shootout did not count towards the championship. Nine of the eighteen races in the 2016 season were televised on NBCSN and were on a tape delay basis. The Icebreaker 150 was shown live on FansChoice.tv.


2016 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, Results and standings, Drivers' championship
(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by final practice results or 2015 Owner's points. * – Most laps led.


2016 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
The 2016 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour was the fourteenth and final season of the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour (WSMT). It began at Caraway Speedway on March 12 and concluded at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 6. Andy Seuss entered the season as the defending Drivers' Champion. Burt Myers won the championship, 20 points in front of George Brunnhoelzl III.


2016 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour
The 2016 season was the final season before NASCAR merged the two modified tours for 2017.


2016 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, Schedule
Four of the eleven races in the 2016 season were televised on NBCSN and were on a tape delay basis.


2016 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, Results and standings, Drivers' championship
(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by final practice results or Owner's points. * – Most laps led.


2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series
The 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 35th season of the Xfinity Series, a stock car racing series sanctioned by the NASCAR in the United States. The season started at Daytona International Speedway on February 20 and ended at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19. Daniel Suárez of Joe Gibbs Racing won the championship, becoming the first non-American to win a title in NASCAR's top 3 divisions.


2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series
This was the first year that the Xfinity Series (and the Truck Series) had a playoff system. Just like in the Cup Series, four drivers competed for the title in the final race at Homestead, also the final round of the playoffs. Those drivers are shown below.


2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series, Rule changes
On January 19, NASCAR announced the introduction of a playoff format similar to the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. After the 26-race regular season, the top-12 drivers will enter the Round of 12 (Kentucky, Dover and Charlotte), with championship points reset. The top-eight drivers will advance to the Round of 8 (Kansas, Texas and Phoenix). The top-four drivers will qualify to the Championship 4 at Homestead. Race winners will automatically advance to the next round. Additionally, the 16 drivers who qualified for the 2015 Chase for the Sprint Cup are ineligible to race at Homestead.


2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series, Rule changes
NASCAR also announced that Dash 4 Cash races would feature two heat races that determine the starting grid for the main event. If a driver is the highest finishing eligible driver in two of the races, they become eligible for the Xfinity Chase.


2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series, Results and standings, Drivers' Championship
(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by final practice results or owner's points. * – Most laps led. . – Eliminated after Round of 12. – Eliminated after Round of 8


2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series, Results and standings, Owners' championship (Top 15)
(key) Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position set by final practice results or rainout. * – Most laps led. . – Eliminated after Round of 12. – Eliminated after Round of 8


2016 NATC Motorcycle Trials Season
The 2016 NATC trials season was the 43rd season. It consisted of eight trials events in four main classes: Pro, Expert and Women's Expert Sportsman West and East. It began on 21 May, with round one in Florida and ended with round eight in Colorado on 26 June.


2016 NATC Motorcycle Trials Season, Season summary
Spaniard Marc Friexa would claim his first NATC Trials Championship in 2016.


2016 NATC Motorcycle Trials Season, 2016 NATC trials season calendar, Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top twenty finishers in each class. All eight rounds counted for the Pro class and Expert class, and the best of three in the Women's East and West classes were counted.


2016 NBA All-Star Game
The 2016 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 14, 2016, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season. It was the 65th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, home of the Toronto Raptors. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 196–173. Russell Westbrook was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. The Raptors were awarded the All-Star Game in an announcement on September 30, 2013. This was the first time that the NBA All-Star Game was held outside the United States. TSN and Sportsnet televised the game nationally in Canada, while TNT and TBS televised the game nationally in the United States. This was also the 18th and final All-Star Game in which Kobe Bryant participated, as a result of his retirement after the season.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, Background
Toronto's bid to host the 2016 NBA All-Star Game was led by NBA Canada vice-president and managing director Dan MacKenzie. It was the culmination of years of planning to grow basketball in Canada, and by 2013 he stated that "the time was right" to bring the event outside of the United States for the first time. He estimated that it would bring $80 million to $100 million into Toronto's economy. He also highlighted that the NBA had 650,000 Canadian followers on Twitter by 2016.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Coaches
Although the Golden State Warriors had the best record in the Western Conference, no coach may coach two consecutive All-Star Games, therefore making Steve Kerr ineligible. San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich served as the Western Conference coach due to the Spurs having the second-best record in the West. The Cleveland Cavaliers had the best record in the Eastern Conference, but on January 22, the team fired head coach David Blatt and replaced him with Tyronn Lue. Lue was named the Eastern Conference head coach on January 27, even though he had only coached four games up to that point.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Rosters
The rosters for the All-Star Game were selected through a voting process. The starters are chosen by the fans. Two guards and three frontcourt players who received the highest vote are named the All-Star starters. NBA head coaches vote for the reserves for their respective conferences, none of which can be players on their own team. Each coach selects two guards, three frontcourt players and two wild cards, with each selected player ranked in order of preference within each category. If a multi-position player is to be selected, coaches are encouraged to vote for the player at the position that was "most advantageous for the All-Star team," regardless of where the player was listed on the All-Star ballot or the position he was listed in box scores.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Rosters
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers topped the ballots this year with 1,891,614 votes, earning Bryant his 18th all-star appearance in his final season in the NBA, and also beating out the 2015 leading vote getter Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who was second this year in total votes with 1,604,325. This is the fourth time that Bryant has been the leading vote getter. The other players named to the Western Conference starting roster include Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, named to their fifth and seventh All-Star Games respectively, and Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs, who was named to his first career All-Star Game.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Rosters
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, with 1,089,206 votes, was the leading vote getter in the Eastern Conference, earning James his 12th career all-star nod. Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat was also named a starter to his 12th career All-Star Game, with a total of 941,466 votes. Rounding out the rest of the Eastern Conference starting lineup was Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors (second all-star nod), Paul George of the Indiana Pacers (3rd all-star nod), and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, who was named to his ninth career All-Star Game.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Rosters
The West Reserves included Klay Thompson and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, James Harden of the Houston Rockets, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings, and LaMarcus Aldridge, who made the All-Star Game as a member of the San Antonio Spurs for the first time.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Rosters
The East Reserves included John Wall of the Washington Wizards, DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors, Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls, Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics, Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, Paul Millsap of the Atlanta Hawks, and Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons. Jimmy Butler and Chris Bosh ultimately had to sit out the All-Star Game due to a knee and calf injury, respectively. Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls and Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks were named as Butler and Bosh's replacements.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Rosters
Jimmy Butler was unable to participate due to a knee injury. Pau Gasol was selected as Butler's replacement. Chris Bosh was unable to participate due to a calf injury. Al Horford was selected as Bosh's replacement.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Game
Russell Westbrook earned his second-straight MVP award in his first All-Star start as the West won 196–173 over the East. He scored a team-high 31 points and added eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals in 22 minutes. Kobe Bryant, who planned to retire after the season, had 10 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in his final All-Star Game. The 369 total points in the game broke the previous year's record by 48, and both sides exceeded the prior team record of 163.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Game
Stephen Curry added 26 points for the West, and teammates Anthony Davis scored 24 on 12-of-13 shooting and Kevin Durant  tallied 23. The East's Paul George scored 41, which tied Westbrook's total from 2015 and was one short of Wilt Chamberlain's record. LeBron James totaled 13 points for a career record of 291 to pass Bryant, who retired with 290.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Game, Game
Westbrook became the first black player in All-Star history to win consecutive MVPs outright. Bob Pettit is the other player to have won back-to-back awards, winning in 1958 and sharing it with Elgin Baylor in 1959. West players offered to feed Bryant the ball in an attempt to get him a record fifth All-Star MVP, but he declined.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Celebrity Game
The 2016 NBA Celebrity All-Star Game was played on February 12, 2016 at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Celebrity Game
The game was a matchup of Team Canada vs. Team USA, coached by Canadian rapper Drake, and 4-time Celebrity Game MVP Kevin Hart, respectively. It featured 21 players, including actors Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Anthony Anderson, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., Joel David Moore, and Tom Cavanagh, and TV hosts Nick Cannon, Terrence Jenkins, and the Property Brothers. The game also included four NBA legends in Chauncey Billups, Muggsy Bogues, Tracy McGrady, and Rick Fox, as well as Elena Delle Donne and Tammy Sutton-Brown of the WNBA.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Celebrity Game
Despite the efforts of head coach Kevin Hart who later played in the game in the second half, Team Canada won 74–64 and Win Butler was named MVP of the game.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Rising Stars Challenge
Nerlens Noel was unable to participate due to injury. Devin Booker was named as Noel's replacement. Nikola Mirotić was unable to participate due to injury. Trey Lyles was named as Mirotić's replacement.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Rising Stars Challenge
Team USA won 157–154 in the highest scoring game in Rising Stars Challenge history. Zach LaVine was named MVP, leading all of the USA team with 30 points while also recording 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Jordan Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell, and Devin Booker all scored over 20 points, with Russell also recording 7 assists. Kristaps Porziņģis and Emmanuel Mudiay led the way for Team World with 30 points each, with Andrew Wiggins also scoring 29 points.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Skills Challenge
Patrick Beverley was unable to participate due to an ankle injury. Emmanuel Mudiay was selected to replace Beverley.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Three-Point Contest
Teammates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, known as the Splash Brothers, were the favorites to win the contest. The betting site, Bovada, listed the defending-champion Curry as the favorite to win with 10–11 odds, while Thompson was second at 9–2. Contestant Devin Booker would be the youngest participant to ever compete in the Three-Point contest at 19 years old. Chris Bosh was announced as a first-time participant for the event, but he would be replaced by CJ McCollum due to an injury before the event.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Three-Point Contest
Chris Bosh was unable to participate due to a calf injury. CJ McCollum was selected as Bosh's replacement.


2016 NBA All-Star Game, All-Star Weekend, Slam Dunk Contest
Zach LaVine became the first back-to-back Slam Dunk Contest winner since Nate Robinson, edging out Aaron Gordon with four consecutive perfect scores in the final round.


2016 NBA Development League draft
The 2016 NBA Development League Draft was the 16th draft of the National Basketball Association Development League (NBDL). The draft was held on October 30, 2016, just before the 2016–17 season.


2016 NBA Finals
The 2016 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2015–16 season and conclusion of the 2016 playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors four games to three in a rematch of the previous year's Finals. The Cavaliers became the fourth team to win the championship after losing the first two games, joining the 1969 Boston Celtics, 1977 Portland Trail Blazers, and 2006 Miami Heat.


2016 NBA Finals
It was the 14th rematch of the previous NBA Finals in history, and the first Finals since 2008 in which the number one seed in each conference met. It was the second straight rematch in back-to-back years, as the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs played each other in 2013 and 2014. Cleveland's LeBron James was named the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). James won the Finals MVP award unanimously, receiving all 11 Finals MVP votes.


2016 NBA Finals
Golden State, who earned home-court advantage by setting the NBA regular season wins record (73–9), jumped to a 2–0 lead in the series while recording the largest combined margin of victory (48) through two games in NBA Finals history. Cleveland returned home and responded with a 120–90 win in Game 3, but the Warriors won Game 4 to take a 3–1 series lead. The Cavaliers won the next three games to become the first team in Finals history to successfully overcome a 3–1 deficit. It also marked the first time since 1978 that Game 7 was won by the road team.


2016 NBA Finals
For the first time since 2004, a new scheduling format was instituted for the Finals. In previous years, the Finals were played in a Thursday–Sunday–Tuesday scheme. However, the league changed its scheduling to ensure an extra day off for both teams when traveling between the two cities. This, along with the designated travel day, took place after Games 2, 4, 5, and 6.


2016 NBA Finals
The win by the Cavaliers was the first major professional sports championship won by a team based in Cleveland since 1964, and the first-ever championship won by the Cavaliers franchise. NBA Finals MVP winner LeBron James propelled the Cavaliers to the historic comeback, completing an all-time great Finals performance in which he became the first player in NBA history to lead all players in a playoff series in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.


2016 NBA Finals, Background, Cleveland Cavaliers
This was Cleveland's second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, and third overall, seeking to win their first ever NBA championship. This would also be the sixth consecutive NBA Finals appearance for LeBron James, the most for any player not part of the 1960s Boston Celtics, and the fifth for James Jones (who technically qualified for the 2011 NBA Finals along with James, but did not play).


2016 NBA Finals, Background, Cleveland Cavaliers
Despite holding the best record in the Eastern Conference at 30–11 midway through the season on January 22, 2016, the Cavaliers fired head coach David Blatt. Associate head coach Tyronn Lue was then promoted to replace Blatt. General Manager David Griffin cited "a lack of fit with our personnel and our vision" as the reason for Blatt's firing.


2016 NBA Finals, Background, Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland finished the regular season with a 57–25 record, capturing the Central Division title and the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. They then advanced to the Finals after sweeping both the Detroit Pistons in the first round and the Atlanta Hawks in the second round, and defeating the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games. The Cavaliers were the first team in history to go to two consecutiveNBA Finals with rookie head coaches.


2016 NBA Finals, Background, Golden State Warriors
This was the defending NBA Champion Golden State Warriors' second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals and eighth overall. The Warriors broke the record set by the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls by finishing the regular season with a 73–9 record. In addition, the Warriors broke numerous other NBA records, including most road wins (34), best start to a season (24–0) and longest regular-season home win streak (54 dating back to the 2014–15 season). They also became the first team to make over 1,000 three-pointers in the regular-season with 1,077, eclipsing the previous record of 933 set by the 2014–15 Houston Rockets.


2016 NBA Finals, Background, Golden State Warriors
The Warriors were led by Stephen Curry, who was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the second straight season. The Splash Brothers twosome of Curry and Klay Thompson were the highest scoring duo in the league, combining to average 52.2 points per game. Head coach Steve Kerr missed the first 43 regular season games because of a back injury. Assistant coach Luke Walton served as interim head coach during Kerr's absence and he led the Warriors to a 39–4 start.


2016 NBA Finals, Background, Golden State Warriors
In the playoffs, the Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets in the first round and the Portland Trail Blazers in the conference semifinals in five games each. In Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 96–88, becoming only the 10th team in NBA history to overcome a 3–1 series deficit, and advancing to a second straight NBA Finals for the first time since 1947 and 1948.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 1
The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 104–89 in Game 1 to take a 1–0 series lead. The Cavaliers led 68–67 before the Warriors broke the game open with a 29–9 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to take a 96–76 lead. Cleveland got the deficit within eleven points at 98–87 after an 11–2 run, but Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson nailed back-to-back three-pointers to essentially seal the victory for Golden State. While Curry and Thompson had a rough night combining for 20 points, the Warriors got a lift from its bench, outscoring the Cavaliers' bench 45–10. Shaun Livingston scored his playoff-career high 20 points to lead Golden State, while Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 26 points. LeBron James fell one assist shy of a triple-double (23 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists).


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 2
The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 110–77 in Game 2 to take a 2–0 series lead. Cleveland took a 28–22 lead about two minutes into the second quarter, but Golden State answered with a 20–2 run while outscoring the Cavs 30–16 the rest of the period. During the run, the Cavaliers' Kevin Love suffered a head injury while attempting to grab a defensive rebound. Love stayed throughout the remainder of the period but did not play the second half. The Warriors continued to dominate Cleveland from there, outscoring the Cavaliers 58–33 in the final two quarters. Draymond Green led all scorers with 28 points, including 5 of 8 from three-point range. Curry and Klay Thompson added 18 and 17 points, respectively, while drilling four threes each.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 2
With their victory, the Warriors posted the highest winning margin in the first two Finals games with a 48-point differential. James led the Cavs with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 steals, surpassing John Stockton for fourth on the all-time playoff steals list. However, he also committed 7 turnovers in the loss.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 3
The Cavaliers avenged their lopsided defeat to Golden State by routing the Warriors 120–90 in Game 3 to cut the series deficit to 2–1. The Cavaliers scored the game's first nine points en route to outscoring the Warriors 33–16 after one quarter. Golden State rallied to trim Cleveland's lead as low as seven points on a couple of occasions before the Cavs settled for a 51–43 halftime lead. In the second half, Cleveland continued to extend their lead and outscored Golden State 69–47. Love did not play due to a concussion. James led all scorers with 32 points. Irving added 30 points for the Cavs. Curry led the Warriors with 19 points, while drilling four threes. Harrison Barnes also contributed 18 points in 33 minutes of play.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 4
The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 108–97 in Game 4 to take a 3–1 series lead. After averaging just 16 points in the first three games of the series, Curry scored 38 and was 7 of 13 on three-pointers. The Warriors made 17 three-pointers, then an NBA record for a single Finals game. They made only 16 two-point field goals, the first time in Finals history a team made more shots from three-point range. Klay Thompson added 25 points and four three-pointers for Golden State. It was the Warriors' 88th win of the season, which broke the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls record of 87 for most wins in an NBA season (regular-season and postseason combined).


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 4
Green and James had to be separated in the closing minutes of the game, when Green fell to the ground and James stepped over him. Feeling disrespected, Green swung his arm and appeared to make contact with James' groin.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 5
The Cavaliers defeated the Warriors 112–97 in Game 5 to narrow the Warriors' series lead to 3–2. James and Irving each scored 41 points to become the first teammates in Finals history to score 40 or more in the same game. James also added 16 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks, whilst Irving had 6 assists of his own. After Game 4, Green was assessed a Flagrant Foul 1 for his contact with James that was ruled "unnecessary" and "retaliatory", and James was given a technical foul for taunting.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 5
Having accumulated his fourth flagrant foul point in the playoffs, Green was suspended for Game 5, becoming the first player to be suspended from playing in a Finals game since Jerry Stackhouse in 2006. Green watched the game from a luxury box in the nearby Oakland Alameda Coliseum, where the Oakland Athletics were also playing a game at the same time, hosting the Texas Rangers.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 5
Warriors center Andrew Bogut suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee in the second half when he jumped to block a layup attempt by Cavs guard J. R. Smith and came down awkwardly on Smith.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 6
The Cavaliers defeated the Warriors 115–101 in Game 6 to even the series 3–3. The Cavaliers scored the game's first eight points en route to outscoring the Warriors 31–11 after one quarter. Golden State rallied to trim Cleveland's lead as low as eight points on a couple of occasions before the Cavs settled for a 59–43 halftime lead, with Tristan Thompson having his best performance of the series, registering a double-double in the first half alone. In the second half, Cleveland continued to extend their lead and tied the series.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 6
LeBron James led the Cavs with a historic performance of 41 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks whilst only committing 1 turnover. Kyrie Irving added 23 points, while Tristan Thompson had 16 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 30 points, drilling six threes, and Klay Thompson added 25 points. Back from suspension, Green was held to just eight points on 3–7 shooting.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 6
James scored 18 straight points for Cleveland from the end of the third quarter to the 7:00 mark of the fourth. Late in the game with the Cavaliers up by 13, he blocked a Curry shot from behind, and afterward had some words for him. With 4:22 left, Curry received his sixth foul and fouled out of the game. He then threw his mouthpiece into the stands in frustration, resulting in a technical foul and his ejection from the game. Curry was the first MVP to foul out of an NBA Finals game since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 6
The Cavaliers became the third team to fall behind 3–1 and force Game 7 (and the first in 50 years). James was the first player to have consecutive 40-point games in the Finals since, coincidentally, Shaquille O'Neal in the 2000 Finals. Following the game, Curry and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr were fined $25,000 each for their actions and public officiating criticism.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
This season's Finals marked the first time in NBA history in which both teams entered Game 7 with the same total points scored through six games (610 points each). The Cavaliers defeated the Warriors 93–89 in Game 7 to win the series 4–3. Game 7 was close, with 20 lead changes and 11 ties. This was the only game in the series to have a final margin of fewer than 10 points. At halftime, the Warriors were ahead 49–42.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
In the second half, the Cavaliers outscored the Warriors 51–40 as the Warriors failed to score a basket during the last 4:39 of the game. In the closing minutes of the 4th quarter, LeBron James delivered what became known as "The Block" on a layup attempt by Andre Iguodala with the score tied at 89 and 1:50 remaining in the game. Kyrie Irving made a go-ahead 3-point field goal over Stephen Curry to give Cleveland a 92–89 lead with 0:53 remaining in the game.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
Before Kyrie Irving's 3-point field goal, both teams were tied at 699 points scored apiece in this series. Immediately after Irving's 3-pointer, Golden State brought the ball up-court, opting not to call a timeout, and although Golden State got a preferred switch and matchup of Curry on Kevin Love, Love made arguably "the biggest defensive stop of the entire NBA season", and forced Curry into a contested 3-pointer, which he missed.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
After LeBron James hurt his right wrist on a dunk attempt in which he was fouled by Draymond Green, he virtually clinched the title for the Cavaliers by making one of two free throws, putting them 4 points ahead with only 10.6 seconds left in the game. The Cavaliers fouled Draymond Green with 6.5 seconds remaining. Stephen Curry received the ensuing inbounds pass, pump faked and shot a three-pointer over Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert. The attempt missed, and was rebounded by Marreese Speights of the Warriors who then missed a three-point attempt as time expired.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
Draymond Green put up his best performance of the Finals, leading all scorers with 32 points, including 6 of 8 from three-point range to go along with 15 rebounds and 9 assists. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson added 17 and 14 points, respectively. LeBron James led all Cavaliers with 27 points and became only the third player ever in NBA history to record a triple double in an NBA Finals Game 7 by adding 11 assists and 11 rebounds. Kyrie Irving added 26 points for Cleveland.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
The Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3–1 series deficit to win the NBA Finals. They became the first NBA Champion to clinch all their playoff series on the road since the 1999 San Antonio Spurs, as well as the first road team to win a Finals Game 7 since the 1978 Washington Bullets. The Cavaliers won their first championship in franchise history, ending a 52-year pro sports championship drought for the city of Cleveland.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
LeBron James was named the unanimous Finals MVP, becoming only the fifth player in NBA history to earn the award three times or more. He also was the overall leader in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks during the series, a feat that had never been accomplished in an NBA playoff series. Tyronn Lue became the 14th coach to win an NBA championship as a head coach and player.


2016 NBA Finals, Game summaries, Game 7
On July 13, Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals received the 2016 ESPY award for Best Game.


2016 NBA Finals, Broadcast
In the United States, the NBA Finals aired on ABC with Mike Breen as play-by-play commentator, and Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson serving as color commentators. TNT's Craig Sager made an appearance for Game 6 as a sideline reporter, his first appearance at the NBA Finals, and his last game before he died later that year in December. ESPN Radio aired it as well and had Kevin Calabro and Hubie Brown as commentators. ESPN Deportes provided exclusive Spanish-language coverage of The Finals, with a commentary team of Álvaro Martín and Carlos Morales.


2016 NBA Finals, Aftermath
The Cavaliers and Warriors also met in the following two NBA Finals, the first time in any of North America's four major professional sports leagues that the same two teams met for the championship four years in a row. The Warriors, who added Kevin Durant in the 2016 offseason, defeated the Cavaliers in five games in 2017 and a four-game sweep in 2018. Durant was named the Finals' MVP in both series.


2016 NBA Finals, Aftermath
The Warriors made it to a fifth consecutive Finals in 2019, which they would lose to the Toronto Raptors in six games.


2016 NBA Finals, Aftermath
James left the Cavaliers in the 2018 offseason to join the Los Angeles Lakers. He would lead the Lakers to a title in 2020 and win Finals MVP that year. The Cavaliers failed to make the playoffs in each season after James' departure, as was the case the first time he left them to join the Miami Heat.


2016 NBA Summer League
The 2016 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League.


2016 NBA Summer League
Ten teams participated in the week-long Orlando Pro Summer League at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 2 to 8, 2016. The Orlando Magic (White) won the Orlando Pro Summer League championship over the Detroit Pistons, 87–84 in overtime. Arinze Onuaku of Orlando Magic (White) was named the MVP. The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat also participated in the Las Vegas Summer League.


2016 NBA Summer League
The Utah Jazz Summer League was introduced for the first time last year, marking the first summer league to be played in Utah since the Rocky Mountain Revue was last held in 2008. Four teams participated in a round-robin format from July 4 to 7, 2016. No tournament was held, nor was there a champion named, but the Boston Celtics had the best record of the four teams with an undefeated record of 3–0. All four teams (Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Antonio Spurs) also participated in the Las Vegas Summer League.


2016 NBA Summer League
The Las Vegas NBA Summer League is the official summer league of the National Basketball Association. It is the premier summer league of the three, with a total of 23 teams, plus a Select Team from the NBA Development League, participating. A total of 67 games were played from July 8 to 18, 2016, at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion, both located in Paradise, Nevada (near Las Vegas). The Chicago Bulls won the championship by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in the final, 84–82, on a buzzer-beater by Denzel Valentine in overtime. Tyus Jones was named the league's Most Valuable Player, with Jerian Grant of the Bulls being named the championship game MVP.


2016 NBA Summer League, Orlando Pro Summer League
Officially known as the Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League for sponsorship reasons, this 25-game, week-long event will feature ten teams. Each team will play five games over the course of the week, with a championship day being played on the final day of the league. A point system will establish the standings leading up to the final day, with eight points awarded each game based on: four points for winning the game and one point for winning a quarter (in the event of a tied quarter, each team will receive 0.5 points). In the event of ties in seeding heading into championship day, three tiebreakers will be in place: 1) total point differential; 2) total points allowed; 3) coin flip.


2016 NBA Summer League, Orlando Pro Summer League, Championship day
Each team will play one game on the league's final day for either first, third, fifth, seventh or ninth place.


2016 NBA Summer League, Orlando Pro Summer League, Championship day
The seeding will be determined by a team's total points after the first five days. Eight points will be awarded in each game: four points for winning a game and one point for every quarter a team won. In the event of a tied quarter, each team is awarded half a point. If two or more teams had equal points, then the following tiebreakers applied:


2016 NBA Summer League, Orlando Pro Summer League, Championship day
Each odd-numbered seed will be paired with the team seeded immediately below it. For example, the top two seeds will play in the championship game, the third and fourth seeds will play in the third-place game, etc.


2016 NBA Summer League, Orlando Pro Summer League, Honors
Josh Cohen of the Orlando Magic's website ranked the top five most valuable players in the Orlando Pro Summer League


2016 NBA Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League
In its now second year, the Utah Jazz Summer League will host four teams. Each team will play each other in a round-robin format for a total of six games, with each team playing each day (July 4, 5, and 7).


2016 NBA Summer League, Las Vegas NBA Summer League
Officially known as the Samsung NBA Summer League for sponsorship reasons, the Las Vegas NBA Summer League is the official summer league of the NBA. It is the premier summer league of the three, with a total of 23 teams, plus a Select Team from the NBA Development League, participating. A total of 67 games will be played from July 8 to 18, 2016, at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion, both located in Paradise, Nevada (near Las Vegas). Teams will compete in three preliminary games beginning on July 8 before being seeded in a tournament that leads to the Championship Game on July 18. Each team will play at least five games in Las Vegas.


2016 NBA Summer League, Las Vegas NBA Summer League, Championship
The championship is determined by a single-elimination tournament; the top 8 teams receive a first-round bye.


2016 NBA Summer League, Las Vegas NBA Summer League, Championship
Teams are seeded first by overall record, then by a tiebreaker system


2016 NBA Summer League, Las Vegas NBA Summer League, Championship
First-round losers will play consolation games to determine 17th through 24th places based on the tiebreaker system stated above. Second-round losers will play consolation games to determine ninth through 16th places.


2016 NBA Summer League, Las Vegas NBA Summer League, Honors
The All-Summer League First and Second Teams were selected by a panel of media members in attendance at the Las Vegas NBA Summer League.


2016 NBA draft
The 2016 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN, and was live streamed for the first time in NBA draft history by The Vertical. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The draft lottery took place during the playoffs, on May 17, 2016.


2016 NBA draft
This was the first time since the lottery system was introduced in 1985 that all NBA teams that missed out on the playoffs remained in the exact spots they were designated, meaning the 10-win/72-loss Philadelphia 76ers received the No. 1 pick, the Los Angeles Lakers kept the No. 2 pick, the Boston Celtics via the Brooklyn Nets got the No. 3 pick, and everyone else stayed in their same spots based on the regular season standings from the 2015–16 season.


2016 NBA draft
Highlights from the draft include the second Australian No. 1 draft pick (Ben Simmons; the first being Andrew Bogut), the first Austrian to be selected into the NBA (Jakob Pöltl), the first high school prospect to be taken in the first round since the 2015 NBA draft (Thon Maker), the first Ghanaian to be selected into the NBA (Ben Bentil), the most Frenchmen to be taken overall (Guerschon Yabusele, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, David Michineau, Isaia Cordinier, Petr Cornelie), the first time since the 1990 NBA draft that an Egyptian has been selected into the NBA (Abdel Nader), and the first time that two Chinese players have been selected into the same draft (Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin) since the 2007 NBA draft.


2016 NBA draft
This draft was also notable for providing the most international draft prospects in draft history, with 28 different players representing different countries instead of the United States of America. It beat out the 2004 NBA draft for the most culturally diverse draft in league history. It was the second time that three players were selected from Serbian team Mega Leks in the same draft (Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, Ivica Zubac, Rade Zagorac), the first time being the 2014 NBA draft.


2016 NBA draft, Notable undrafted players
These players were not selected in the 2016 NBA draft, but have appeared in at least one regular-season or playoff game in the NBA.


2016 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants
The draft is conducted under the eligibility rules established in the league's 2011 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with its players union. The CBA that ended the 2011 lockout instituted no immediate changes to the draft, but called for a committee of owners and players to discuss future changes.


2016 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants
The NBA has since expanded the draft combine to include players with remaining college eligibility (who, like players without college eligibility, can only attend by invitation).


2016 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Early entrants
Player who are not automatically eligible must declare their eligibility for the draft by notifying the NBA offices in writing no later than 60 days before the draft. For the 2016 draft, this date fell on April 24. After this date "early entry" players may attend NBA pre-draft camps and individual team workouts to show off their skills and obtain feedback regarding their draft positions. Under the CBA a player may withdraw his name from consideration from the draft at any time before the final declaration date, which is 10 days before the draft. Under newly implemented NCAA rules, players had until May 25 (10 days after the draft combine) to withdraw from the draft and retain college eligibility.


2016 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Early entrants
A player who has hired an agent will forfeit his remaining college eligibility regardless of whether he is drafted. The CBA allows a player to withdraw from the draft twice; the 2016 NCAA rule change brought it in line with the CBA on this detail.


2016 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Early entrants, College underclassmen
A record-high 162 under-classed draft prospects had declared themselves for eligibility at the April 24 deadline (116 of them being from college), although college players who had not hired agents or signed professional contracts outside the NBA were able to decide to return to college by May 25, 10 days after the end of the NBA Draft Combine. At the end of the May 25 deadline, there were 57 players confirming their intentions of returning to school, thus leaving the grand total of underclassmen participating in the NBA draft as 59.


2016 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Early entrants, College underclassmen
Players listed in this region have publicly indicated that they have hired agents, planned to do so around this time, or made themselves their own agents; those who have hired agents and weren't drafted are deemed ineligible to return to NCAA basketball in 2016–17. However, with this year's draft class, it provided the most undrafted college underclassmen out there with 30 people there not being taken at all.


2016 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Early entrants, International players
International players that had declared this year and didn't previously declare in another prior year can also drop out of the draft about 10 days before the draft begins on June 13. Initially, there were 46 players that expressed interest in entering the 2016 draft. However, at the end of June 13, there were 33 international prospects that, for one reason or another, declined entry to the 2016 NBA draft, leaving only 13 international candidates for the event. That left the overall number of underclassmen entering the draft as 72.


2016 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Automatically eligible entrants
Players who do not meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:


2016 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Automatically eligible entrants
Players who meet the criteria for "international" players are automatically eligible if they meet any of the following criteria:


2016 NBA draft, Eligibility and entrants, Automatically eligible entrants
Based on the eligibility rules, all college seniors who have completed their college eligibility and all "international" players who were born on or before December 31, 1994, are automatically eligible for the draft. However, there are other players who became automatically eligible even though they have not completed their four-year college eligibility.


2016 NBA draft, Combine
The invitation-only NBA Draft Combine was held in Chicago from May 10 to 15. The on-court element of the combine took place on May 12 and 13. This year, a total of 63 players entered the combine, with the only two alternates that had their invitations be accepted for the event being Jaron Blossomgame and Marcus Lee. Furthermore, the only international player that got invited and accepted his invitation this year was Zhou Qi of the Xinjiang Flying Tigers.


2016 NBA draft, Combine
Originally, Wayne Selden Jr. was to be a participant for the event, but he injured himself before the combine officially began, thus making Sheldon McClellan from the Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team his replacement for on-court events. Buddy Hield, the consensus national college player of the year for 2015–16, participated only in off-court events; his graduation ceremony at the University of Oklahoma conflicted with the on-court portion of the combine, and he chose to attend graduation. A. J. Hammons also withdrew his name from the draft combine on the day of the on-court events.


2016 NBA draft, Combine
During the event, sophomore Kentucky and future Phoenix Suns point guard Tyler Ulis broke combine records by being the lightest player recorded in draft combine history at 149.2 pounds. After the event, nine of the participants that were a part of the combine went back to their respective colleges. However, it was announced just days after the NBA Draft Combine was over that some of the events' measurements would be under review since some prospects were provided with rather questionable results, especially when compared to how they measured up in previous physical events.


2016 NBA draft, Draft lottery
The NBA conducts an annual lottery to determine the draft order for the teams did not make the playoffs in the preceding season. Every NBA team that missed the NBA playoffs had a chance at winning a top three pick, but teams with worse records had a better chance at winning a top three pick. After the lottery selected the teams that receive a top three pick the other teams receive an NBA draft pick based on their winning percentage from the prior season. As it is commonplace in the event of identical win-loss records, the NBA performed a random drawing to break the ties on April 15, 2016. The table below shows each non-playoff team's chances (based on their record at the end of the NBA season) of receiving picks 1–14.


2016 NBA draft, Draft lottery
The 2016 NBA lottery was held on May 17. The Philadelphia 76ers, who had the worst record in the NBA and the highest chance to win the lottery at 26.9% (given the 25% chance to win outright and 1.9% chance that the Sacramento Kings, with whom the 76ers had previously traded for pick-swap rights, would be drawn first), won the lottery. The Los Angeles Lakers stayed at the second spot, and the Brooklyn Nets (whose pick was acquired by the Boston Celtics via an earlier trade) stayed at the third spot.


2016 NBA draft, Draft lottery
As a result, the only team that would have multiple selections in the lottery would be the Phoenix Suns, who hold their own fourth selection, which held the least likely odds of staying exactly where it was at out of all teams in the draft at 9.9%, and the thirteenth selection, which was acquired from the Washington Wizards earlier in the year and had a 97.8% chance of keeping Washington's selection (either at 96% with Pick 13 or at 1.8% at Pick 14). This was the first instance in NBA draft lottery history where every selection remained exactly where it was originally placed before the lottery began, which actually was held by 1.8% likelihood despite having a 1-in-55 chance of it happening due to the lottery selecting only the Top 3 slots.


2016 NBA draft, Draft lottery
^ 1: The Boston Celtics acquired the Brooklyn Nets' pick automatically. ^ 2: The Denver Nuggets exercised the option to swap first round picks with the New York Knicks. ^ 3: The Toronto Raptors acquired the lesser of the Denver Nuggets' pick and the New York Knicks' pick. ^ 4: The Phoenix Suns acquired the Washington Wizards' pick because it fell outside the top nine.


2016 NBA draft, Invited attendees
The NBA annually invites around 15–20 players to sit in the so-called "green room", a special room set aside at the draft site for the invited players plus their families and agents. When their names are called, the player leaves the room and goes up on stage. Other players who are not invited are allowed to attend the ceremony. They sit in the stands with the fans and walk up on stage when (or if) they are drafted. The following 19 players were invited (listed alphabetically) to the 2016 NBA draft on June 18, one day before the 2016 NBA Finals ended. A record-high 5 different players were added to the green room listing before the beginning of the 2016 NBA draft commenced.


2016 NBA draft, Trades involving draft picks, Pre-draft trades
Prior to the day of the draft, the following trades were made and resulted in exchanges of draft picks between the teams.


2016 NBA draft, Trades involving draft picks, Draft-day trades
Draft-day trades occurred on June 23, 2016, the day of the draft.


2016 NBA playoffs
The 2016 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2015–16 season. The tournament ended with the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers defeating the defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors 4 games to 3 after the Warriors led the series 3 games to 1. In the NBA Finals, LeBron James was named NBA Finals MVP.


2016 NBA playoffs
The Cavaliers swept their first two series and won the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Raptors to become the fourth team in NBA history to open a post-season with 10 straight victories. They matched the 2012 San Antonio Spurs, though the 1989 and 2001 Los Angeles Lakers had won their first eleven games en route to sweeping the first three rounds of the playoffs. Cleveland wound up repeating this feat the next year when they swept the conference opening round, semifinal round, and winning the first 2 conference final games. However, this feat would be surpassed by the 2017 Golden State Warriors who won 15 straight games.


2016 NBA playoffs, Format
Within each conference, the eight teams with the most wins qualify for the playoffs. The seedings are based on each team's record.


2016 NBA playoffs, Format
Each conference's bracket is fixed; there is no reseeding. All rounds are best-of-seven series; the team that has four wins advances to the next round. As stated above, all rounds, including the NBA Finals, are in a 2–2–1–1–1 format. Home court advantage in any round does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead to the team with the better regular season record. If two teams with the same record meet in a round, standard tiebreaker rules are used. The rule for determining home court advantage in the NBA Finals is winning percentage, then head to head record, followed by record vs. opposite conference.


2016 NBA playoffs, Format, Seeding
On September 8, 2015, the NBA announced changes to how playoff teams were seeded. Previously, the division champions were guaranteed no worse than the fourth seed, while the team with the second-best record in the conference was guaranteed no worse than the second seed even if it wasn't a division champion. Starting with the 2016 playoffs, the eight playoff qualifiers in each conference will be seeded solely based on regular-season record. If two teams finish with identical records, the team that wins the regular-season series will get the higher seed. If the regular-season series is tied and one of the teams is a division champion, the division champion will get the higher seed. If three or more teams finish with identical records and one of the teams is a division champion, the division champion will get the higher seed.


2016 NBA playoffs, Playoff qualifying
On February 27, 2016, The Golden State Warriors became the first team to clinch a playoff spot. This was the earliest a team had clinched a playoff spot in February since the 1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers. The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot on March 18, 2016.


2016 NBA playoffs, Bracket
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Teams with home court advantage are shown in Italics.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons
In Game 3, Kyrie Irving hit the tough corner 3 late in the 4th quarter, with only 0.7 seconds remaining on the shot clock. In Game 4, Irving also hit a three to give the Cavaliers a 4-point lead with less than a minute left. Reggie Jackson would then drive and dunk the ball to cut the lead to 2. As Irving attempted another clutch 3, it went short and the players scrambled for the ball until the Pistons came up with it.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons
As they looked for a 3 to force Game 5, or a 2 to send it to overtime, they look to Reggie Jackson. He took a 3 over Irving, but that went short as well, and the Cavaliers move on to the second round. Game 4 was also the last playoff game ever played at The Palace of Auburn Hills.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning two out of the first three meetings.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (2) Toronto Raptors vs. (7) Indiana Pacers
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Raptors and Pacers.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (3) Miami Heat vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets
With the series tied at two games apiece, Game 5 was a close one. After Kemba Walker misses the stepback jumper over Hassan Whiteside, Courtney Lee gets the offensive rebound and hits the clutch 3 with 25.2 seconds left. The Hornets then block 2 shots to seal it. It was their first playoff road win since game 4 of the 2002 playoffs against the Orlando Magic. By then, Charlotte was on the verge of an upset, but in Game 6, Dwyane Wade wouldn't let his team down.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (3) Miami Heat vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets
Although he hasn't hit a three since December 2015, he hits 2 clutch shots including a three with less than a minute to go, as the series goes back to Miami for a Game 7. There, the Heat closed out the series and advance to the second round, to face the Toronto Raptors, who also moved on to the second round for the first time since 2001.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (3) Miami Heat vs. (6) Charlotte Hornets
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Heat winning the most recent meeting in 2014.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Eastern Conference First Round, (4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Boston Celtics
This was the 12th playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Celtics winning ten of the first eleven meetings.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Houston Rockets
The Warriors, after game 1, went through games 2 and 3 without Stephen Curry. He injured his ankle and would be lost until game 4. Game 4 saw him injure his knee, as he slipped on a wet spot on the floor at the Toyota Center in Houston. Curry's Warriors teammates stepped up and blew out the Rockets by 27 points. They would close out the series by blowing the Rockets out again, by 33 points.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (8) Houston Rockets
This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the first meeting being in 2015, as Golden State defeated Houston 4–1 in the Western Conference finals.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Memphis Grizzlies
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with San Antonio winning the most recent meeting in 2013.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (3) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with each team winning two of the four meetings.


2016 NBA playoffs, First Round, Western Conference First Round, (4) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Clippers and Trail Blazers.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks
In Game 2, the Cavaliers made history by hitting 18 three-pointers in the first half and 25 overall to break the record for most three-point field goals made by a team in a game. During Game 3's final minute, Jeff Teague pushed LeBron James into a Hawks fan, James would later claim that he was still okay.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks
In Game 4, both teams were locked in battle until in the final seconds, a jump ball was called between Dennis Schröder and LeBron James, and the Hawks desperately won the tip, but the game-winning shot by Paul Millsap bounced off the rim as the Cavs make a second straight sweep.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks
This was the third time the Cavaliers swept the Hawks in the playoffs and it would be the second consecutive season the Cavaliers swept them.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Cavaliers winning the first two meetings.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Toronto Raptors vs. (3) Miami Heat
Even though the Raptors lost Game 1, Kyle Lowry hits a game-tying shot from half-court at the buzzer to force overtime. The play is similar to Chauncey Billups' half-court buzzer beater against the Nets in the 2004 playoffs, that also forced overtime. The end of Game 7 marks the Raptors' first ever trip to the Eastern Conference finals in their history.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Toronto Raptors vs. (3) Miami Heat
Game 7 is noteworthy as being Dwyane Wade's last game with the Miami Heat (during his first stint with the team) as he would sign with the Chicago Bulls in the off-season. He would return to the Miami Heat in 2018 after being traded for a second-round pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Eastern Conference Semifinals, (2) Toronto Raptors vs. (3) Miami Heat
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Raptors and Heat.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers
In Game 4, when Stephen Curry came back from his knee injury, he scored 40 points, along with an NBA record 17 points in overtime to lead the Warriors to a 132–125 win. They closed out the series in Game 5, to advance and face the Oklahoma City Thunder, who defeated the 67-win San Antonio Spurs in their second round matchup.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers
This was the first meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Trail Blazers.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Semifinals, Western Conference Semifinals, (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Spurs winning four of the first five meetings.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (2) Toronto Raptors
Games 1 and 2 were easy victories for the Cavaliers, as they pushed their playoff winning streak to 10 consecutive games. However, in Game 3, the Raptors dominated the first half, building up an 18-point lead, the largest deficit the Cavaliers faced all playoffs long. J.R. Smith's hot three-point shooting tried to lead Cleveland back, cutting the lead to 5, but the Raptors inevitably held on to win the game. DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points and Bismack Biyombo grabbed a Raptors' franchise record 26 rebounds. This loss by Cleveland ended their playoff winning streak at 10 games.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (2) Toronto Raptors
Things would get worse in Game 4 as the Cavs were unable to slow down Kyle Lowry who scored 20 first-half points. Cleveland once again attempted a second half comeback, only this time they turned the game into a back and forth battle. Lowry's drive and score at the basket sealed the win for Toronto, tying the series at 2 games apiece. It was time for recovery for James and the Cavaliers in Game 5. They delivered yet another blowout victory, as they took a 3-2 series lead. The Raptors needed a win back home to force a decisive Game 7, but the Cavaliers closed out the series in Game 6 and won their second straight Eastern Conference title. For the sixth consecutive season, LeBron James advances to the NBA Finals, along with his teammate, James Jones.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, (1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (2) Toronto Raptors
This was the first ever meeting in any professional sports league's postseason between teams from Cleveland and Toronto. Teams from the two cities met again less than five months later (and again in the penultimate round of the playoffs) when the Cleveland Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2016 American League Championship Series.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Finals, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder
During the Thunder-Warriors series, Draymond Green became the subject of multiple controversial plays against Oklahoma City players, most notably Steven Adams.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Finals, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder
In Game 1, the Thunder upset the Warriors 108–102 and took a 1–0 series lead. It marked the Warriors' first loss at Oracle Arena in Oakland in the playoffs, as well as their third home loss of the season. In Game 2, despite a close game at the half, the Warriors soundly defeated the Thunder 118–91. Television cameras appeared to show Draymond Green kicking Steven Adams in the groin while he was attempting a layup. In Game 3, in the comfort of a raucous Chesapeake Energy Arena, the Thunder dominated the Warriors 133–105.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Finals, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder
During the game, Green received a flagrant foul 1 for again appearing to kick Adams in the groin. In Game 4, the Thunder once again handed the Warriors a commanding 118–94 defeat to take a 3–1 series lead. Green appeared to trip Enes Kanter during the game. Returning to Oracle Arena in Game 5, the Warriors held on to defeat the Thunder 120-111, cutting their series deficit to 3-2. Kevin Durant scored 40 points in the loss.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Finals, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder
Despite their Game 5 loss, the Thunder were favored to advance to the NBA Finals in the comfort of their home court in Game 6, but the Warriors stunned the Thunder thanks to Klay Thompson, who scored a series-high 41 points and made an NBA playoff record 11 3s. Klay's performance and a poor shooting night from Kevin Durant, as the Warriors won the game 108–101 and tied the series 3-3, forcing a Game 7 in the Bay Area. In Game 7, Oklahoma City built a 13-point lead during the game and led 48–42 at halftime.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Finals, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder
However, the Thunder lost focus in the third quarter. After the Warriors thwarted Oklahoma City's brief comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, Golden State won 96–88 and became the 10th team to win an NBA playoff series after being down 3 games to 1. Game 7 was the last game Kevin Durant played with the Oklahoma City Thunder, before joining his opponent in this series, the Golden State Warriors.


2016 NBA playoffs, Conference Finals, Western Conference Finals, (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (3) Oklahoma City Thunder
This was the third meeting in the playoffs between the Warriors and Thunder, with both teams tied at one a piece.


2016 NBA playoffs, NBA Finals: (E1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (W1) Golden State Warriors
After winning three of the first four games in the Finals with relative ease, the Warriors appeared to be overwhelming the Cavaliers as they moved to being within one win from back-to-back championships. However, the series shifted dramatically after Golden State's All-Star forward, Draymond Green, was suspended for game 5 after an altercation with Cleveland's LeBron James in game 4. Absent Green, the Warriors were lacking defensively, as Kyrie Irving and LeBron James became the first teammates to score 40 or more points each in a Finals game and led the Cavaliers to a 112–97 win to force game 6.


2016 NBA playoffs, NBA Finals: (E1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (W1) Golden State Warriors
Back in the Quicken Loans Arena for their final home game of the season, the Cavaliers tied the series at 3 games apiece by defeating Golden State, 115–101. After receiving his sixth personal foul in the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry was ejected for the first time in his career after throwing his mouthpiece at a Cavaliers fan. Game 7 came down to the wire. Late in the fourth quarter, with the score tied at 89, Andre Iguodala received a bounce pass from Curry.


2016 NBA playoffs, NBA Finals: (E1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (W1) Golden State Warriors
As Iguodala went up for the layup, he was blocked from behind by James, in what has since been recognized as one of the most memorable blocks in NBA playoff history, and among the most iconic plays of James's career. With less than a minute to play, Kyrie Irving converted a 3-point shot to give the Cavaliers the lead. On their next possession, James was fouled by Green while attempting a dunk, and made one of his two free throws to increase the lead to four.


2016 NBA playoffs, NBA Finals: (E1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (W1) Golden State Warriors
While the Warriors managed to get the ball into the hands of Curry for a chance to cut the deficit to one, he was guarded well by Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert, and Curry was forced to take a sub par shot that missed, sealing the game as the city of Cleveland, Ohio's 52-year sports curse finally ended. The Cavaliers became the eleventh team to win an NBA playoff series after trailing 3 games to 1, and the first to do so in the NBA Finals. The Warriors became the best team (by regular season record) to fail to capture an NBA championship. Cleveland also became only the fourth team to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals on the road. This was the first NBA championship for the Cavaliers.


2016 NBA playoffs, NBA Finals: (E1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (W1) Golden State Warriors
This was the second meeting in the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cavaliers, with the Warriors winning the first meeting last season.


2016 NBA playoffs, Media coverage, Television
ESPN, TNT, ABC, and NBA TV broadcast the NBA playoffs nationally in the United States. In the first round, regional sports networks affiliated with the teams can also broadcast the games, except for games televised on ABC. Throughout the first two rounds, TNT televised games Saturday through Thursday, ESPN televised games Friday and Saturday, and ABC televised select games on Saturday and Sunday, usually in the afternoon. NBA TV aired select weekday games in the first round. TNT televised the Western Conference finals and ESPN televised the Eastern Conference finals. ABC televised the NBA Finals for the 14th consecutive year.


2016 NBA playoffs, Media coverage, Television
In Canada, national coverage is divided between the TSN and Sportsnet families of channels, with each group carrying approximately half of all games featuring the Toronto Raptors (produced independently of the U.S. national broadcasts regardless of round), and half of all other games (simulcast from the applicable U.S. broadcaster).


2016 NBA playoffs, Media coverage, Radio
ESPN Radio had exclusive national radio rights to broadcast the playoffs in the United States. They broadcast mostly ABC games during the first two rounds, all of the conference finals, and the NBA Finals.


2016 NBL Finals
The 2016 NBL Finals was the championship series of the 2015–16 NBL season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Perth Wildcats defeated the New Zealand Breakers in three games (2–1) to claim their seventh NBL championship.


2016 NBL Finals, Format
The 2015–16 National Basketball League Finals were played in February and March 2016 between the top four teams of the regular season, consisting of two best-of-three semi-final and final series, where the higher seed hosts the first and third games.


2016 NBL Finals, Qualification, Seedings
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win-loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.


2016 NBL Finals, Grand Final series, (2) Perth Wildcats vs (4) New Zealand Breakers
Tied 2–2 in the regular season series; 347-327 points differential to New Zealand:


2016 NC State Wolfpack football team
The 2016 NC State Wolfpack football team represented North Carolina State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at Carter–Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was their fourth season under head coach Dave Doeren. They were a member of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.


2016 NC State Wolfpack football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
The Notre Dame vs NC State game was played during Hurricane Matthew where the two teams combined for only 311 total yards. The only touchdown of the game was scored by NC State on a blocked punt by Pharaoh Mckever leading NC State to win it 10-3.


2016 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship
The 2016 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship was the first annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate beach volleyball in the United States. The tournament was played on the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama, hosted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, from May 6–8, 2016. The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) had previously sponsored a beach volleyball championship prior to the NCAA's sanctioning of the sport in 2015.


2016 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship
USC defeated Florida State in the championship match, 3 sets to 0, to clinch the inaugural national title. This was the Trojans' second consecutive national title, having won the last AVCA tournament before the change in the event's sponsor.


2016 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, Qualification
There is only one national championship for beach volleyball, so all sixty NCAA beach volleyball programs, whether from the Division I, Division II, and Division III, were eligible for the tournament field. A total of eight teams were ultimately invited to contest this championship. Three bids were awarded to the top three teams in both the East and West Regions, and two at-large bids were awarded to the best remaining teams from either region.


2016 NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship, Qualification, Format
All eight teams were subsequently seeded and paired accordingly in the first round of a double-elimination style tournament to be played across a three-day span. Matches were won by the first team to win three-of-five sets.


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
The 2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament began on Friday, June 3, 2016, as part of the 2016 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64-team, double-elimination tournament concluded with the 2016 College World Series (CWS) in Omaha, Nebraska, starting on June 18, 2016, and ending on June 30, 2016. The 64 participating NCAA Division I college baseball teams were selected out of 298 eligible teams. Thirty-one teams were awarded an automatic bid, as champions of their conferences; the remaining 33 teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
Teams were divided into sixteen regionals of four teams, which conducted a double-elimination tournament. Regional champions faced each other in Super Regionals, a best-of-three game series to determine the eight participants of the College World Series. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) set a conference record and tied the all-time mark of having ten teams in the championship field. A tournament-high seven regional hosts came from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), followed by six of the ten ACC schools; however, only Miami (ACC) and Florida (SEC) advanced to Omaha, and they were the first and second teams eliminated, respectively. For the first time since the tournament expanded from 48 teams in 1999, the NCAA did not select any Pac-12 schools to host a regional, and Lubbock, Texas (Texas Tech) was the westernmost regional host city picked by the selection committee.


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
In the CWS after Texas Tech lost to Big 12 rival TCU, none of the three national seeds who had reached Omaha had won their opening game. Tech eventually became the fourth team to be eliminated. While Oklahoma State and TCU advanced through the winners' bracket to set up a possible all–Big 12 championship, Arizona and Coastal Carolina won both elimination games to advance to the best-of-three final series.


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
With each team winning a game in the championship series to force a winner-take-all Game 3, the tournament reached the maximum of 17 games for the first time; the finals expanded in 2003 to a best-of-three format as opposed to a single, winner-take-all championship game. Coastal Carolina won the deciding game, 4–3, becoming the first team since 1956 to win the title in its first CWS appearance. Coastal Carolina won six elimination games in NCAA post-season play – one in a Regional, three in the CWS double-elimination bracket, and two in the Championship Series. The runner-up, Arizona, won six elimination games – three in a Regional and three in the CWS double-elimination bracket, but lost their 7th, the last game of the Championship Series.


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, National seeds
The following eight teams automatically host a Super Regional if they advance to that round:


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, National seeds
Bold indicates College World Series participant† indicates teams that were eliminated in the Regional Tournament‡ indicates teams that were eliminated in the Super Regional Tournament


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Regionals and Super Regionals
Bold indicates winner. Seeds for regional tournaments indicate seeds within regional. Seeds for super regional tournaments indicate national seeds only.


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, College World Series
The College World Series was held at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, College World Series, All-Tournament Team
The following players were members of the College World Series All-Tournament Team.


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Record by conference
The columns RF, SR, WS, NS, CS, and NC respectively stand for the Regional Finals, Super Regionals, College World Series, National Semifinals, Championship Series, and National Champion.


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Media coverage, Radio
NRG Media provided nationwide radio coverage of the College World Series through its Omaha station KOZN, in association with Westwood One. It was streamed at   and on TuneIn. Kevin Kugler and John Bishop called all games leading up to the Championship Series with Gary Sharp acting as the field reporter. The Championship Series was called by Kugler (Gms 1–2), Bishop (Gm 3), and Scott Graham. Ted Emrich acted as field reporter for Games 1 & 2.


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Media coverage, Television
ESPN carried every game from the Regionals, Super Regionals, and College World Series across its networks. During the Regionals, ESPN offered a dedicated channel, ESPN Bases Loaded (carried in the same channel allotments as its "Goal Line" and "Buzzer Beater" services for football and basketball), which carried live look-ins and analysis across all games in progress, hosted by Brendan Fitzgerald and Matt Schick with Kyle Peterson providing analysis.


2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, Media coverage, Television
The final game of the tournament aired on ESPNU, as the NCAA scheduled the game for an afternoon start, and there were scheduling conflicts with ESPN and ESPN2 due to UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2016 Wimbledon Championships.


2016 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
The 2016 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships were the 78th NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship and the 36th NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship to determine the national champions of men's and women's NCAA Division I collegiate cross country running. They were hosted by Indiana State University at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana on November 19, 2016. Four different championships will be contested: men's and women's individual and team championships.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Two human polls and a committee's selections comprised the 2016 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football rankings, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that began in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll. One additional poll was released midway through the season; the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings are released after the eighth week.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
This was the third season of the four-team College Football Playoff system which replaced the previous Bowl Championship Series system. At the conclusion of the regular season, on Sunday, December 4, 2016, the final CFP rankings determined who would play in the two bowl games designated as semifinals for the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship on January 9, 2017, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 26, 2016 and ended on December 10, 2016. The postseason concluded on January 9, 2017 with the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship, where the Clemson Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide to claim their second national title in school history. The championship game was a rematch of the 2016 edition won by Alabama.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Rule changes
The following rule changes were voted on by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2016 season:


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Rule changes
The committee, once again, took no action on changing the ineligible receiver downfield rule from three yards to one yard; however it will once again be a "point of emphasis" and will adjust officiating mechanics to better officiate those plays.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Conference realignment, Membership changes
Although Coastal Carolina began the transition process to FBS in the 2016 season and joined the Sun Belt Conference in non-football sports, it was officially classified as an FCS independent for this first season of the transition. Coastal Carolina became a provisional FBS member when the football team joined the Sun Belt in 2017, and full FBS membership and bowl eligibility followed in 2018.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Regular season top 10 matchups
Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 10 and beyond will list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that fail to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Upsets
In the first full weekend of the season, seven teams ranked in the AP Poll lost, the most in an opening week since the debut of the AP preseason poll in 1950. The seven ranked losers included two top-five teams; the last time two such teams had lost in the season's first week was 1972. The weekend also saw seven SEC teams lose their season openers, which had not happened since the league returned to 12 teams with the 1992 arrival of Arkansas and South Carolina. One of those loses saw South Alabama defeat Mississippi State 21-20 as a 28-point underdog, which was the biggest FPI upset in the last 5 seasons (2.3% chance to win before the match).


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Upsets
On September 10, a finish noted for its improbability happened when Central Michigan defeated Oklahoma State 30–27 on a Hail Mary pass followed by a lateral on the game's final play. Shortly afterwards, the game officials, as well as the conferences of the participating teams (the MAC and Big 12 respectively), announced that Central Michigan should not have been allowed to run the winning play. On the previous play, during which the clock had run out, Oklahoma State had been called for intentional grounding on fourth down. Under NCAA rules, a game cannot end on an accepted live ball foul; however, an exception to that rule states that if the penalty includes a loss of down—which is the case for intentional grounding—the game ends at that point.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Upsets
On September 17, FCS program North Dakota State defeated No. 13 Iowa on a late field goal to win 23–21 at Kinnick Stadium, becoming just the fourth FCS team to beat an AP-ranked FBS team. This was Iowa's first loss to a non FBS opponent. The next day, NDSU received 74 points in the AP Poll to set a new record for votes received by an FCS team in a single AP Poll.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Upsets
On December 10, Army defeated No. 25 ranked Navy 21–17 to end a 14-year losing streak in the Army–Navy Game, the longest for either side in the rivalry's history.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Updated stadiums
In addition to the stadium updates above, two schools played their final season in their then-current venues:


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Conference summaries
Rankings reflect the Week 15 AP Poll before the conference championship games were played.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Postseason, Bowl selections
There were 40 postseason bowl games, with two teams advancing to a 41st – the CFP National Championship game. As in previous seasons, teams with losing records could become bowl-eligible in order to fill all 80 bowl slots.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Postseason, Bowl selections, Bowl-eligible teams
Teams with Asterisk(*) qualified for bowls based on Academic Progress Rate, despite not having a bowl-eligible record.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Postseason, College Football Playoff
Since the 2014–15 postseason, six College Football Playoff (CFP) bowl games have hosted two semifinal playoff games on a rotating basis. For the 2016 season, the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl hosted the semifinal games, with the winners advancing to the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Awards and honors, Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Trophy is given to the year's most outstanding player.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Coaching changes, Preseason and in-season
This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2016. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2016, see 2015 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.


2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, Television viewers and ratings, Most watched regular season games
All times Eastern. Rankings are from the AP Poll before (11/1) and the CFP Rankings thereafter.


2016 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings
The 2016 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) football rankings comprises two human polls, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. Unlike the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), college football's governing body, the NCAA, bestows the national championship title through a 24-team tournament. The following weekly polls determine the top 25 teams at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level of college football for the 2016 season. The STATS poll is voted by media members while the Coaches' Poll is determined by coaches at the FCS level.


2016 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings
The NCAA Division I FCS Selection Committee released its Top 10 beginning in Week 9, and continues up to the week of the announcement of the full playoff field on November 20.


2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season
The 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was played on January 7, 2017, in Frisco, Texas. The James Madison Dukes defeated the Youngstown State Penguins, 28–14, to capture their second national championship in team history.


2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season, Rule changes
The following rule changes were voted on by the NCAA Football Rules Committee for the 2016 season:


2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season, Rule changes
The committee, once again, took no action on changing the ineligible receiver downfield rule from three yards to one yard; however it will once again be a "point of emphasis" and will adjust officiating mechanics to better officiate those plays.


2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season, Rule changes
In addition to the above changes, the NCAA approved an experimental rule on kickoffs and touchbacks to be used this season by the Ivy League in conference games only. In those games, kickoffs were taken from the 40-yard line instead of the 35, and touchbacks were brought back to the 20-yard line instead of the 25. The Ivies proposed the experiment in the interest of player safety, believing that increasing the frequency of touchbacks would reduce injury risk from kick returns. The Ivies were scheduled to report the results of the experiment to the NCAA in February 2017.