Borislav "Boris" Stankovic

As secretary-general of FIBA, basketball’s international governing body, Boris Stankovic popularized international basketball and turned the game into a sport followed by the whole world. Like many outstanding administrators, Stankovic began as a player. He starred with the Red Star Club of Belgrade, the team that won the 1946 and 1947 Yugoslavia championships. From 1948 to 1953, Stankovic also played on the Yugoslavian national team participating in the first World Championships in Buenos Aires in 1950. A devoted ambassador of international basketball, Stankovic has been a member of the Central Board, Yugoslavia Federation (1953-66), Yugoslavia Olympic Committee, and European Cup Commission. In 1987, he worked with NBA commissioner David Stern to organize preseason exhibition games between NBA teams and the top teams from Europe. Two years later Stankovic’s work to include NBA players in the Olympic Games resulted in the 1992 Dream Team. He remains a visionary for basketball across the globe.