Mirza Delibašić and basketball in BiH on the verge of a major world recognition

The best Bosnian-Herzegovinian basketball player and former coach of the BiH national team, Mirza Delibašić, is among the candidates for induction into the Naismith "Hall of Fame" in Springfield in 2022, the highest recognition in the world of basketball. Besides him, one of the best coaches in Europe, Dušan Ivković, is also on the prestigious list from this region.

The late Mirza Delibašić won eight medals with the Yugoslavian national team, and in 1991 he was named one of FIBA's 50 greatest players. He was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, he was named one of the 50 greatest contributors to the Euroleague. He is considered one of the best shooters in the history of European basketball.

Ivković passed away in September, and in his trophy-laden career, he was a multiple medal winner with the Yugoslavian/Serbian national teams, including a gold medal at the 1990 World Championship and a two-time European champion with Olympiacos (1997 and 2012).

Among the candidates are Alfonso Ford (the annual award for the Euroleague's top scorer bears his name), Shimon Mizrahi (president of Maccabi Tel Aviv since 1969), and Dan Peterson (two-time European champion as coach of Olimpia Milano).

A candidate for induction into the "Hall of Fame" is also the four-time NBA champion and 2001 Euroleague winner with Virtus Bologna, Argentinian Manu Ginobili.

The final list will be announced during the All-Star Weekend on February 18 in Cleveland, and the induction ceremony for the new "residents" of the Springfield institution, class of 2022, will be held on September 9 and 10.