Canada’s Nash leads 2020 class of FIBA Hall of Famers
CANADIAN national basketball team member and two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) most valuable player Steve Nash leads the list of inductees for the 2020 FIBA Hall of Fame.
In an announcement made on Tuesday, International Basketball Federation (FIBA) said Mr. Nash is among basketball personalities to be honored in digital ceremonies set for June 18.
The Class of 2020 will be enshrined into the FIBA Hall of Fame together with the Class of 2021.
Mr. Nash, 47, is being honored with a place in the Hall for his outstanding career both in the national team and as a professional in the NBA spanning nearly two decades.
He is the first Canadian player to be inducted to the FIBA Hall of Fame.
The Santa Clara University product was a point guard at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 1994 in Toronto and captain of the Canadian team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. He was the MVP of the FIBA AmeriCup 1999 in Puerto Rico after leading his country to a runner-up finish.
In the NBA, meanwhile, he was MVP in both 2005 and 2006 and was an All-Star eight times. He played for Phoenix, Dallas, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Mr. Nash is currently the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, who to date are in joint first place in the NBA Eastern Conference with a 32-15 record.
Joining Mr. Nash in his class are players Isabelle Fijalkowski (France), Mieczysław Łopatka (Poland), Agnes Nemeth (Hungary), Park Shin-ja (Korea), Modestas Paulauskas (Lithuania), Kenichi Sako (Japan), Alexander Volkov (Ukraine), and Jure Zdovc (Slovenia).
Coaches to be inducted, meanwhile, are Rubén Magnano (Argentina), Svetislav Pešić (Serbia), and Tara VanDerveer (USA).
The basketball legends joining Mr. Nash combined to win five Olympic gold medals and five World Cups. They accounted for six Olympic medals, 10 World Cup podium finishes, 20 Continental Cup medals, 70 national club competition crowns, and 11 international club competition titles.
The FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2021 will be announced on April 1. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo