THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is proud to see a dear friend of Philippine basketball get his deserved place in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
SBP president Al S. Panlilio was ecstatic upon learning the late former FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann will be part of the Class of 2020 who’s going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame four months from now.
The enshrinement ceremony for the batch led by led by the late NBA great Kobe Bryant is set on August 29 at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
“Patrick was a dear friend of Philippine basketball and we could not be happier to see him join the ranks of our sports’ legends in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame,” said Panlilio when reached by SPIN.ph on Monday.
“He is undoubtedly a deserving inductee in the Hall of Fame Class of 2020.”
The list of 2020 inductees was announced on Sunday with Bryant leading the eight other personalities that also included fellow greats Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and Tamica Catchings representing the players, coaches Rudy Tomjanovich, Eddie Sutton, Kim Mulkey, and Barbara Stevens, and Baumann for basketball executive.
The 51-year-old Baumann, who died in 2018 while attending the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in Argentina, was elected posthumously by the International Committee as contributor.
“It’s unfortunate that he (Baumann) left us too soon, but he has left an indelible mark in the sport of basketball, and he’ll soon forever be known as a pillar in the global game,” added Panlilio.
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Baumann is best remembered for mediating in two separate instances when the local basketball federation was suspended by FIBA due to a lingering leadership dispute.
As FIBA deputy secretary general in 2001, he presided over the election of Quintellano ‘Tiny’ Literal as president of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP).
Six years after when he was finally FIBA secretary-general, Baumann was again back in the country to oversee the formation of a unified BAP-SBP with Manny V. Pangilinan as its elected president.
Panlilio has since succeeded Pangilinan, who's now SBP chairman emeritus.
The SBP eventually formed a strong relationship with Baumann and FIBA, with the country clinching the hosting of the 2023 World Cup just months before Baumann’s death.
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Globally, the former FIBA executive also did a lot for basketball, including the introduction of the home-and-away concept that became the qualifier of the World Cup and the flourishing of the 3x3 event as an Olympic sport.
“These games gave countries the opportunity to see their national teams play more often,” Panlilio pointed out. “Under his leadership, 3x3 also became big and turned into an Olympic sport.”
“His lofty goal was to make basketball bigger than football and he worked tirelessly to make this become a reality,” added the SBP chief. “He revolutionized global basketball with his programs."
Baumann served as FIBA sec-gen from 2002 – replacing another Hall of Famer in Borislav Stankovic - until the time of his death.
Source: Spin PH
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