December 22, 2025
FIBA Hall of Fame class of 2026 announced
On Sunday, the inductees for the 2026 FIBA Hall of Fame class were announced.
On Sunday, the inductees for the 2026 FIBA Hall of Fame class were announced. The list of inductees features women’s basketball greats, Sue Bird, Céline Dumerc, and Clarisse Machanguana. The class is set to be inducted on April 21 in Berlin, Germany, during an enshrinement ceremony. In total, seven players and one coach, both men and women, will be recognized for their contributions to the sport.
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FIBA shared the news on X with the caption, “Brighter than the bright lights on them. Introducing…the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2026.”
Retired WNBA star Sue Bird had an incredible career on the court during her 21 years with the Seattle Storm. On top of being the league’s all-time assists leader, she won 5 Olympic gold medals in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020, 4 FIBA Women’s World Cup titles in 2002, 2010, 2014, and 2018, and 4 WNBA championships with Seattle in 2004, 2010, 2018, and 2020. She also won the FIBA Americas Championship in 2007 and the R. William Jones Cup in 2000. In addition, she was inducted into the 2025 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. And this past May, she was named as the first-ever managing director of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team.
Before her time in the WNBA, Bird was a star at the University of Connecticut, helping the Huskies reach a 136-9 record, according to USAB. She led the team to two NCAA Championships, was the AP Player of the Year for the 2001-02 season, was named the Naismith Player of the Year in 2002, and was the top Female College Athlete of the Year ESPY winner in 2002. She was also the Big East Player of the Year in 2002, made All-Big East first team in 2001 and 2002, and All–Big East second team in 2000. UConn retired her jersey at Gampel Pavilion on December 7, 2025.
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Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
Former French basketball player Céline Dumerc led France’s national team to the gold medal at the 2009 European Championships, the bronze in 2011, and the silver in 2013. She was also named to the All-Tournament team at EuroBasket in 2009 and again in 2013. In 2012, she received the La Gazzetta dello Sport Female European Basketball Player of the Year award.
At the 2012 London Olympic Games, Dumerc helped her home country’s national team win the silver medal. She averaged 14.3 points and 3.4 assists. In 2012, she was named FIBA Europe Women’s Player of the Year and was named France’s Sportsman of the Year in 2012 by Radio France. She was the first woman to win the award. In 2013 and 2014, Dumerc helped the Tango Bourges Basket team reach the EuroLeague semifinals.
Her WNBA career began when she was signed by the Atlanta Dream as a free agent in 2014. She was No.1 in the league in assists per 40 minutes and was ranked 10th in assists, averaging 4.9 assists as a starter. Dumerc also averaged 3.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.
Clarisse Machanguana is a former professional women’s basketball player from Mozambique with an impressive resume that started in college. She played alongside the 2025 FIBA Hall of Fame inductee Ticha Penicheiro at Old Dominion. The duo led the Lady Monarchs to a 34-2 season in 1997 and reached the NCAA title game. She ended her collegiate career with 1,813 points and averaged 18.3 points per game, and was inducted into Old Dominion University’s Hall of Fame in 2006. Because of her work on the court, the center received the CAA’s Dean Ehlers Leadership Award in 1997. In 1995, she was the CAA Player of the Year, and in 1996 and 1997, she was the CAA Tournament MVP.
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Machanguana was drafted 16th overall in the second round of the 1999 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, where she played 2 seasons and averaged 3.1 points per game. In 2001, she played with the Charlotte Sting and averaged 5.4 points per game. Her final season in the WNBA was played with the Orlando Miracle, where she averaged 4.8 points per game. Following her time in the WNBA, she helped lead her country to third place at the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket in 2993 and second place in 2013.
Ismenia Pauchard from Chile will be inducted posthumously. She represented her country’s national team and was the third leading scorer at the FIBA Women’s Basketball Cups in 1957 and 1964.
