Already members of the FIBA Hall of Fame, Jean-Jacques Conceição et Panagiotis Giannakis will they join the Springfield Hall of Fame, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame?
Among Gasol, Kirilenko and Blatt
There is still a way to go but the seven-time African champion and the two-time European champion are among the nominees for the 2026 international class of the Hall of Fame.
.@malika_andrews announces the 2026 Naismith International Hall Of Fame nominees 👏 pic.twitter.com/wc9QZynRae
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 19, 2025
They appear in a list of 24 personalities, where we find among others Juan Carlos Navarro, Marc Gasol, David Blatt, Fabricio Oberto, Andrei Kirilenko, JR Holden and Dusan Ivkovic.
“The candidates for the class of 2026 have each left an indelible mark on the game of basketball”said John L. Doleva, executive director of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “Through landmark performances, influential leadership and achievements that have helped elevate the sport on the national and international stage, this year’s ballot recognizes those whose legacies continue to shape the way the game is played, coached and celebrated. »
To make their way to the basketball Pantheon, the two former Limougeauds will then have to pass the threshold of finalists and then the final list, revealed next April, in parallel with the NCAA Final Four.
Giannakis won a trophy with Limoges
Jean-Jacques Conceição et Panagiotis Giannakis are both linked, on different scales, to the Cercle Saint-Pierre. The Angolan interior spent two and a half years there (1996/98), at the heart of a period of scarcity for the club, before a tumultuous start by skipping a Saporta Cup match against the Bosnian team Siroki Brijeg, while the Greek technician coached there for a year.
Arriving in Limoges, then just promoted to Pro A, crowned with an enormous CV, defeater of Team USA in the semi-final of the World Cup six years earlier, Giannakis had not delivered an unforgettable season, finishing in 13th place. He was even fired for serious misconduct in June 2013. But he had time to add a trophy to the CSP cabinet, winning the Champions Match at the Palais des Congrès in Paris against Élan Chalon in 2012 (78-76).
