On the occasion of World Basketball DayFIBA announced the Hall of Fame Class of 2026, paying homage to legendary figures capable of achieving global success throughout their careers. A total of seven players and one coach will be honored
A total of seven players and one coach will be honored for their extraordinary individual contributions to the world of basketball at the induction ceremony which will take place on April 21 in Berlin in conjunction with the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup draw.
Among the names of the eight characters included in the HALL OF FAME, those of Dirk Nowitzki and Sue Bird stand out. This is the complete list:
Sue BIRD (USA)
Céline DUMERC (FRA)
Clarisse MACHANGUANA (MOZ)
Dirk NOWITZKI (GER)
Ismenia PAUCHARD (CHI)
Hedo TÜRKOĞLU (TUR)
Wang ZHIZHI (CHN)
Ludwik MIĘTTA-MIKOŁAJEWICZ (POL)
DIRK NOWITKI. MVP of the 2002 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Indianapolis and the 2005 EuroBasket in Belgrade. With the Germany shirt he dominated the scene for two decades. He started with the youth teams in 1995, before leading the senior team in numerous tournaments until 2015. With the Dallas Mavericks, he won the 2011 NBA title and also won the Finals MVP. In 2007 he was the first European ever to be elected MVP of the regular season. In 2023 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
SUE BIRD. He was the heart and soul of the US women’s national team that dominated the international basketball scene from 2002 until his retirement from competition coinciding with the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He led Team USA to four world titles and five consecutive Olympic gold medals. She won two NCAA titles with UCONN and four WNBA rings with Seattle.
CELINE DUMERC. Playmaker of France who won the Eurobasket 2009.
EDO TURKOĞLU. He is a legend of Türkiye, dragging the national team to the 2001 Eurobasket final played in Istanbul. In 2009 he led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals which they lost against Kobe Bryant’s Lakers. In 2010 in the World Cup he arrived with the Turkish national team in the final for the title against USA and was included in the best quintet of the event held in Türkiye.
CLARISSE MACHANGUANA. One of the most popular players in African basketball. Protagonist and driving force of Mozambique who reached the podium in the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket in 1993 (3rd place), 2003 (2nd) and 2013 (2nd), achieving qualification for the World Cup for the first time. She played in the WNBA with Los Angeles, Charlotte and Orlando. His militancy in Italy was long.
WANG ZHIZHI. He participated in four Olympics and two World Championships. The first Chinese ever to play in the NBA, chosen in 1996 by Dallas and then wearing the shirts of the Clippers and Miami.
ISMENIA PAUCHARD she is a legend of the Chilean women’s national team. Third best scorer in the 1957 and 1964 editions of the FIBA Women’s Basketball Cup.
The Polish technician LUDWIK MIĘTTA-MIKOŁAJEWICZ he was the coach of the Wisla Kraków women’s team and led them to 14 national titles, the first in 1963 and the last in 1981. Miętta-Mikołajewicz also coached his country’s national women’s team. Getting two second places at the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket in 1980 and 1981, and taking it to the FIBA World Cup in 1983.
