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Naismith Hall of Famers Dirk Nowitzki and Sue Bird lead the 2026 FIBA Hall of Fame class, which the international basketball organization announced Sunday in celebration of World Basketball Day.
In May, Bird took on a new role as the managing director of the USA Women’s National Team. During her 19 WNBA seasons, she was a member of four WNBA championship teams with the Seattle Storm and is the league’s all-time assists leader. A mainstay of the Team USA roster throughout her career, Bird was a vital contributor to national teams that won four FIBA World Cup championships and five consecutive Olympic gold medals between 2002 and 2020.
Brighter than the bright lights on them ✨
Introducing… the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2026 🌟#FIBAHallofFame x #WorldBasketballDay pic.twitter.com/HCQLkx1UrB
— FIBA Basketball (@FIBA) December 21, 2025
This has been a year filled with honors for Bird. On Dec. 7, the UConn Huskies held a jersey retirement ceremony for Bird at Gampel Pavilion. In an interview on NBA TV’s “The Association,” Bird reflected on that moment. “The best part by far,” she said, “is that it has forced all my friends, all my family, all my former teammates, coaches, to come hang out with me.”
Bird added, “You ask an athlete what are your favorite memories — championships are great, of course, I wouldn’t trade them — but it’s all the off-the-court memories that stand out.”
Bird was also inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in September. In her acceptance speech, she said, “Hall of Fame induction isn’t just about individual achievement, it’s about joining a community where I’ll always belong. A belonging that can never be taken away. In other words, I’ll close with something point guards don’t often get to say. Thank you for the assist.”
Nowitzki, who was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023, headlines the 2026 FIBA class alongside Bird. In addition to a 21-year NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks in which the sweet-shooting German 7-footer won the 2006-07 NBA MVP award and led Dallas to the franchise’s sole NBA championship in 2011, Nowitzki had a decorated career in international competition. He was named MVP of the 2002 FIBA World Cup and the 2005 EuroBasket. At the 2002 FIBA World Cup in Indianapolis, he led Germany to the bronze medal and the nation’s first-ever podium finish at the world level.
Other members of FIBA’s 2026 Hall of Fame class include former Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings forward Hedo Türkoğlu, from Turkey; former NBA center Wang Zhizhi, from China; retired women’s basketball stars Céline Dumerc and Clarisse Machanguana, from France and Mozambique, respectively; Ludwik Miętta-Mikołajewicz, a longtime coach of the Polish women’s national team; and pioneering Chilean women’s basketball star Ismenia Pauchard, who died in 2004 and is being inducted posthumously.
The induction ceremony will be held on April 21, 2026, in Berlin.
World Basketball Day, officially recognized by the United Nations in 2023, is intended to honor the global impact of the sport and the players who have shaped its history. In a statement, FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis called the day “the perfect time to encourage our family, friends and colleagues who are not yet engaged to pick up a ball or watch some action as we continue growing the sport around the globe.”
