Michael Jordan Leads Class of 2015 FIBA Hall of Fame Inductees

The International Basketball Federation announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2015 Friday, and it is headlined by legendary Team USA and Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan.  

MJ is undoubtedly the biggest name among the group of nine that will be inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in September, but he will be joined by some other iconic players and contributors, too, as seen in this list, courtesy of FIBA.com:

Inductee	Position	Country
Michael Jordan	G	USA
Anne Donovan	C	USA
Ruperto Herrera Tabio	F	Cuba
Sarunas Marciulionis	G	Lithuania
Antoine Rigaudeau	G	France
Vladimir Tkachenko	C	Russia/Ukraine
Jan Stirling	Coach	Australia
Robert Blanchard	Technical Official	France
Noah Klieger	Contributor	Israel

According to FIBA.com, FIBA President Horacio Muratore is thrilled to induct such a strong class of men and women this year:

"

We are very honored to announce the illustrious 2015 Class of the FIBA Hall of Fame. These nine individuals are great personalities who have experienced tremendous success on and off the court. Just as important, they also stand out for the character they have displayed and the countless efforts they have made to help promote our sport. We look forward to honoring them.

"

His Airness is best known for winning six NBA championships with the Bulls, but his contributions to international basketball were nearly as great. He won Olympic gold medals in both 1984 and 1992, along with gold in the Pan American Games in 1983 and gold in the 1992 FIBA Americas Championship.

Jordan's role for Team USA in 1992 was particularly important as he was the pivotal figure on the first-ever Dream Team, which rolled through the competition at the Summer Games in Barcelona.

MJ is the most successful among those in the class of 2015, but as pointed out by FIBA.com, the inductees have a total of 20 Olympic and FIBA medals between them.

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers, such as Bill Russell, David Robinson and Oscar Robertson, have already been elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame over the years, and now, Jordan et al. will add to the credibility and importance of the honor in 2015.

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