The 1959 FIBA World Championship was the 3rd FIBA World Championship—the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. It was hosted by Chile from 16 to 31 January 1959. Amaury Antônio Pasos was named the MVP. The hosting cities for the competition were Antofagasta, Concepción, Temuco, Valparaíso, with the final stages held at the capital of Santiago. The final games were supposed to be conducted at the newly constructed Metropolitan Indoor Stadium, but because the venue was not finished in time, competition was postponed by a year from the original date. Organizers moved outdoors to the Estadio Nacional de Chile, where the events were watched at by a crowd of at least 16,000.

Competing nations

Competition format

Preliminary round

Group A

Group B

Group C

Classification round

First round

Group D

Group E

Second round

Twelfth place playoff

Tenth place playoff

Eighth place playoff

Final round

Awards

Final standings

Top scorers (points per game)

All-Tournament team