James Naismith was a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach, best known as the inventor of the game of basketball. After moving to the United States, he wrote the original basketball rule book and founded the University of Kansas basketball program in 1898. Naismith lived to see basketball adopted as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as well as the birth of the National Invitation Tournament (1938) and the NCAA Tournament (1939).
Teresa Edwards is an American former women's basketball player and four time Olympic gold medalist.
Lindsay John Casson Gaze is an Australian former basketball player and coach.
George Ernest Killian was an American sports administrator, president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
Valdis Valters is a retired Latvian professional basketball player. He played at the point guard position for the senior USSR national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest players to have played the game in Europe in the 1980s. Considering his lengthy work and deep connection to the sport, Valters has been one of the most influential people in Latvian basketball history. He became a FIBA Hall of Fame player in 2017.
Cesare Rubini was an Italian professional basketball player and coach, and a water polo player. He was considered to be one of the greatest European basketball coaches of all time, Rubini was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994, making him the first, and to this day, just one of three Italian basketball figures to receive such an honour, alongside Dino Meneghin and Sandro Gamba. He was also inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2000.
Antonio Díaz-Miguel Sanz was a Spanish professional basketball player and coach. He studied in Madrid, and graduated from the University of Bilbao.
Nikolaos Georgalis, commonly known as either Nikos Galis, or Nick Galis, is a Greek former professional basketball player. Galis, who during his playing days was nicknamed, "Nick The Greek", "The Gangster", and "The Iron Man", is widely regarded as Europe's greatest scorer to ever play the game, and as one of the all-time greatest players in FIBA international basketball history. In 1991, Galis was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players. In 2007, he became an inaugural member of the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 2008, he was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors. In 2017, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was named one of the 101 Greats of European Basketball. In 2022, he was inducted in to the Greek Basket League Hall of Fame.
Panagiotis "Panos" Fasoulas is a Greek politician, and former professional basketball player. He was selected in the second round, with the 37th overall pick, by the Portland Trail Blazers, in the 1986 NBA draft. However, he never decided to play in the NBA. During his pro club career, Fasoulas won multiple team titles and individual awards.
John Patrick Donohue, M.S.M. posthumous was an American-Canadian basketball coach. Donohue was the head coach of the senior Canadian men's national basketball team for 16 years, and he led them to several international successes. He was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame, in 2013.
Willard N. Greim was an American basketball administrator and coach. He coached the University of Central Missouri basketball team in 1919–1923.
Mou Zuoyun was a Chinese basketball player, coach, and pioneer, known as the "godfather of Chinese basketball". He competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics as a member of China's first Olympic basketball team, and coached the Chinese men's team at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He served as president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and was named Lifetime Honorary President of the Asian Basketball Association. In 2005, the CBA named the championship trophy of China's professional basketball league the Mou Zuoyun Cup. In 2019, he posthumously became the first Chinese inductee to the FIBA Hall of Fame.
Jon Anthony Korfas is a Greek-American former professional basketball player and coach. During his professional playing career, Korfas won all three of the FIBA Europe continental-wide titles on the club level. With Panathinaikos Athens, he won the top-tier level FIBA EuroLeague championship, during the 1995–96 season. He also won the second-tier level FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup championship in the 1990–91 season, and the third-tier level FIBA Korać Cup championship in the 1993–94 season with PAOK Thessaloniki. With Panathinaikos, he also won the world club title, as he won the 1996 edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. He was also selected to the FIBA EuroLeague All-Final Four Team at the 1993 FIBA EuroLeague Final Four.
Daniel Callandrillo is an Italian-American former professional basketball player. He played NCAA Division I college basketball at Seton Hall. At a height of 1.88 metres tall, he played at both the point guard and shooting guard positions, with shooting guard being his main position.
Kenichi Sako is a Japanese former basketball player and current coach. Nicknamed "Mr. Basketball", Sako played as point guard and is widely regarded as one of the best Japanese players in history, having won twelve Emperor's Cup titles and nine JBL championships. Representing the Japan national team, Sako played at one FIBA World Cup in 1998, and won one silver and one bronze medal at the FIBA Asia Cup. He was enshrined into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2020, becoming the first Japanese player to be inducted.
Patrick Baumann was a Swiss basketball executive, player and coach. He was the President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations and Secretary General of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). He was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
Thomas Walter Jernstedt was an American basketball administrator, working for the NCAA from 1972 until 2010. He was enshrined into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2010 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. Jernstedt died in Tequesta, Florida.
Valentin Lazarov was a basketball referee and expert, who was enshrined as a technical official in the FIBA Hall of Fame on 19 June 2013.
Patrick Hennessy Hunt AM is a leading Australian basketball coach particularly in the field of player and coach development.
Carol Callan is an American basketball executive. She is the first female President of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Americas and director of the United States women's national basketball team. Under her guidance, she has helped lead the United States to six consecutive Olympic gold medals from 1996 until 2012 and four World Championships. In 2020, Callan was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor. Callan is a current member of the FIBA Central Board, FIBA's highest executive body.
