MIES (Switzerland) - A double Olympian and leading scorer of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in 1986, one of the all-time great Cuban players, Leonor Borrell is being inducted to the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2025. She will be honored at an enshrinement ceremony at the FIBA Mid-Term Congress in Bahrain on May 17 and is joined by Alphonse Bilé (Côte d'Ivoire), Andrew Bogut (Australia), Ticha Penicheiro (Portugal), Pau Gasol (Spain), Fadi El Khatib (Lebanon), Ratko Radovanovic (Serbia), Dawn Staley (USA); as well as Coach Mike Krzyzewski (USA).
The center is considered by many as the greatest ever Cuban women's player, using her size and scoring ability to outstanding effect from the moment she picked up a basketball.
Indeed, it was as a young teen baller that she carved out a name for herself, winning gold in the National School Games three consecutive years when just 13, 14, and 15 years old.
A year later and she was already making her debut for the senior national team. Borrell was so sensational at the Pan-American Games, she was MVP despite being only 15 years-old and propelled Cuba to a sensational gold medal.
It would be one of four MVP awards she would collect at the event during her career. She also won a silver medal at the University Games in the same year.
She then made her Olympic debut at the 1980 Games in Moscow at just 16-years-old - the first of two appearances. She also stepped out at the 1992 Games in Barcelona, where she scored more than 17 points per game to underline her quality on the global stage.
A four-time participant at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, she debuted in 1983 at the event, and it was in 1986 in the Soviet Union when she caught fire in a big way. Borrell sank a staggering 26.7 points per outing, and it was not a surprise with those eye-popping numbers that she finished as the leading scorer of that edition.
Four years later and she was inspiring Cuba to a rare podium place as they took a famous bronze in Malaysia - prior to her playing for the last time at the Worlds in 1994 in Australia.
Borrell also impressed in a big way at the Continental level, with her impact felt even more intensely. The peak came when she won the FIBA AmeriCup Women title in 1989. She also finished with three CentroBasket titles.
The way that she flew the basketball flag for Cuba throughout her stellar career was genuinely sensational, and it's no surprise Borrell has formed such an eye-catching legacy.
Name | Leonor Borrell |
Category of inductee | Center |
Date of birth | 10th November 1963 |
Place of birth | Santa Clara, Cuba |
Nationality | Cuban |
Height | 1.88 m, 6 ft 2 in |
Teams | Schools of Sports Initiation Héctor Ruiz Pérez (EIDE) Higher Schools of Athletic Improvement Giraldo Córdova Cardín (ESPA) Equipo Villa Clara (1978- 1996) Equipo Centrales (1993-1996) |
Club highlights | Three-time National School Games gold medallist (1976, 1977, 1978) Three-time Cuban National Champion (1986, 1987, 1988) |
National team highlights | University Games silver medallist (1979) Three-time FIBA Centrobasket gold medallist (1986, 1990, 1993) Two-time Pan American Games silver medallist (1983, 1991) Pan American Games gold medallist (1979) FIBA AmeriCup gold medallist (1989) FIBA World Cup bronze medallist (1990) |
Individual highlights | Debuted with the National Team at the age of 16 Four-time Pan American Games MVP (1979, 1983, 1987, 1991) Played in two Olympic Games (1980, 1992) Played in four FIBA World Cups (1983, 1986, 1990, 1994) FIBA World Cup Top scorer (1986) |
FIBA