December 21, 2019 - Two legendary Croatian basketball players Toni Kukoc (51) and Giuseppe ‘Pino’ Giergia (82) have been listed among the 50 candidates nominated for the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Illinois. 

T.portal writes that for Toni Kukoc - one of the best Croatian basketball players of all time - this is the third nomination in total, while Giergia is among the candidates nominated for the first time. Serbian coach Ranko Zeravica is also on the list of 50 nominees.

Other celebrity players on the list include Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh, and coaches Rick Adelman, George Karl, Dick Motta and Rudy Tomjanovich.

During the NBA All-star weekend, from February 14-16, a shortlist of 12 names will be known and the final selection will be held in April 2020.

Kresimir Cosic, Drazen Petrovic, Mirko Novosel and Dino Rada are the Croatian players who have entered the Hall of Fame so far.

According to analysts, Kukoc, who is a three-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls and left a deep mark on European and world basketball, has never been closer to joining the Hall of Fame. Still, this is his third nomination.

“For every athlete, entering the Hall of Fame is a tribute to your sports career and all you have done. The Americans have made this very clear; you have to have success behind you, a handful of medals won and only then can you be nominated,” said 82-year-old Giergia, who still plays basketball with his friends once a week.

When he heard the news that he was nominated for the Hall of Fame, where his former teammate and good friend Kresimir Cosic holds a spot, he was proud.

"I always said what I think, so everyone knows that because of the late Kreso and myself, who won trophies and gold medals with Zadar and the Yugoslav national team - Zadar was given the epithet of the ‘city of basketball’. Everything else is onions and water. Look at where our basketball is today,” Giergia added.

Giuseppe 'Pino' Giergia began his career at KK Zadar, where he played for 18 consecutive seasons. With Zadar,  Giergia won the Yugoslav League five times, the Cup once, and for Yugoslavia, he won the silver medal at the 1963 and 1967 FIBA World Cups, and the EuroBasket in 1965.

ToniKukoc, on the other hand, after an incredibly successful career in Europe which saw him win the EuroLeague three times with Jugoplastika and be named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP, he became NBA champions with the Chicago Bulls three times and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. And that’s just part of it. 

Recall, the final selection of new Hall of Fame residents will be announced during the NCAA (Final Four) finals in Atlanta in early April 2020, while the Hall of Fame induction ceremony itself will take place on August 29 in Springfield.

You can see the full list of nominees here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.