The presence of Vladimir Kondrashin on the list of candidates for inclusion in the NBA Hall of Fame indicates that the United States has finally recognized the victory of the USSR national team at the 1972 Olympics, said Honored Russian coach Sergei Elevich on .
On Friday it became known that the prominent Soviet coach Vladimir Kondrashin and the head of the Russian Basketball Federation Andrei Kirilenko were included in the list of nominees for entry into the James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.
The USSR national team, led by Kondrashin, won the basketball tournament at the 1972 Munich Olympics, defeating the American team in the final. Kirilenko played in the NBA for 13 seasons, and with the Russian national team he became European champion in 2007 and bronze medalist at EuroBasket 2011 and the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
— If Kondrashin became a candidate for entry into the NBA Hall of Fame, it means that the Americans recognize our victory in the 1972 Olympics. They argued about this all the time, disagreed with our victory, but it now turns out that they recognized it. If Kondrashin enters the NBA Hall of Fame, I will be very happy. He was my kind mentor.
Everything is clear about Kirilenko: he played in the NBA for many years. I think he deserved it, personally I have no questions,” Elevich told .
The 2024 finalists will be announced on February 16 during the NBA All-Star Game.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame was founded in 1959. The first non-American to be included in the honorary player list was the leader of the USSR national team at the 1972 Golden Olympics, Sergei Belov.
Source : MatchTV
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