The Hall of Fame moved to a new city, but the family stayed the same. The FEB and AS once again organized the grand basketball celebration yesterday—now in its fifth edition. In a sport as global as this, moving from Seville to Lleida was just a slight relocation. The spirit remained intact. The soul of ba-lon-ces-to. The induction gala for the Class of 2025, like the four before it, served as a reminder of where we come from—which is also the best way to know where we are going. History is our mirror.
Each ceremony has had its own personality, highlighting specific names without ever losing its essence. The first two editions were, above all, a tribute to the pioneers. The third was Pau Gasol’s party, and the fourth, his brother Marc’s. This fifth one could be titled Rudy Fernández’s night—another illustrious figure who would unquestionably make a hypothetical all-time Spanish starting five, alongside Epi, another phenomenon in that position. Rudy has been part of all the national team’s gold medals—two World Cups and four European Championships—has competed in six Olympics with three medals, played in the NBA (including a Slam Dunk Contest), and won the EuroLeague with Real Madrid. Can you get any bigger?
But perhaps the Class of 2025 should be elevated beyond Rudy, back to his roots at Joventut de Badalona, another honoree at the Lleida gala. La Penya, along with Estudiantes (also recognized this year), represents the importance of the academy system and development categories. The event brought together, in the same photograph, Rudy Fernández and Jordi Villacampa—two products of the green-and-black, two exceptional small forwards, two great examples of love for basketball born in schoolyards and neighborhood streets, where dreams take the form of a hoop. It was the night of the academies, and a reminder of where the pillars for rebuilding the future lie. The FEB-AS Hall of Fame is much more than our past—it is our basketball. Yesterday, today, and always.