Seven basketball legends and an illustrious coach were officially inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2026.
The prestigious Enshrinement Ceremony was held at the Kraftwerk Berlin, alongside the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 Draw, celebrating the enduring legacy of the game.
This year’s Class included Sue Bird (USA), Céline Dumerc (France), Clarisse Machanguana (Mozambique), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Ludwik Miętta‑Mikołajewicz (Poland), Ismenia Pauchard (Chile), Hidayet Türkoğlu (Türkiye), and Wang Zhizhi (China).
Bird expressed on the global dimension of the FIBA Hall of Fame: “I’ve been lucky to have a lot of meaningful moments in my career, but this one feels different because it isn’t about one team, or one league, or one city. It’s about the game on a global level.”
Bird was the heartbeat of an all-conquering USA side for almost two decades. This is no better underlined than by her headline and epic haul of five consecutive Olympic gold medals – plus no fewer than four FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup titles.
The guard was also a serial winner at club level, lifting EuroLeague Women silverware five times – including a stunning four straight titles with storied Russian juggernauts, Sparta&K M.R Vidnoje.
Her sparkling resume was also decorated with four WNBA Championship titles – all attained with Seattle Storm where she spent her entire WNBA career.
During his induction speech, Nowitzki reflected on the deeper impact of sport, saying: “Sport has a unique way of shaping qualities like integrity and character. When I look back at my own journey today, I realize I owe sport so much more than this honor tonight. I wasn’t discovered through sport, through sport I discovered life and the world.”
Dirk Nowitzki represented Germany for two decades and was MVP of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2002 and at FIBA EuroBasket 2005.
