2020 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame: Kenichi Sako

MIES (Switzerland) – Kenichi Sako, an inspirational player for many years in Japanese basketball as a fiery point guard and leader, is to be enshrined in the 2020 Class of the FIBA Hall of Fame.

Sako and eight other players – Isabelle Fijalkowski (France), Mieczyslaw Lopatka (Poland), Steve Nash (Canada), Agnes Nemeth (Hungary), Park Shin-ja (Korea), Modestas Paulauskas (Lithuania), Alexander Volkov (Ukraine) and Jure Zdovc (Slovenia) – are going into the Hall of Fame, as well as legendary coaches Ruben Magnano (Argentina), Svetislav Pesic (Serbia) and Tara Van Derveer (USA).

From the time he led his team to the 1988 National High School Championships title in Japan, much was expected of Sako and the playmaker delivered.

Known as “Mr. Basketball” for the many big victories he was a part of – three times he was named Most Valuable Player of the Japanese Basketball League – Sako is the second person from Japan to enter the FIBA Hall of Fame after 2007 inductee Yoshimi Ueda.