2019 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame: Natalia Hejkova
MIES (Switzerland) - The most successful coach in the history of EuroLeague Women is being honored with induction to the 2019 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame.
MIES (Switzerland) -The most successful coach in the history of EuroLeague Women is being inducted into the 2019 class of the FIBA Hall of Fame.
The work of legendary coach Natalia Hejkova is being recognized after attaining unprecedented success at the highest level. The Slovakian playcaller has an astonishing record of collecting titles in domestic leagues, EuroLeague Women and has also coached at a host of major international tournaments, including the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, FIBA Women's EuroBasket and Olympics.
Hejkova is among the three coaches being enshrined into the Hall of Fame alongside Bogdan Tanjevic (Montenegro) and Mou Zuoyun (China - posthumously). Joining them are players Janeth Arcain (Brazil), Margo Dydek (Poland - posthumously), Atanas Golomeev (Bulgaria), Alonzo Mourning (United States), Fabricio Oberto (Argentina), Jose "Piculin" Ortiz (Puerto Rico), Mohsen Medhat Warda (Egypty) and Jiri Zidek (Czech Republic). They were selected from a list of more than 150 candidates.
When it comes to EuroLeague Women, she is out in front at the top of the titles leaderboard. Hejkova is a five-time winner of the competition, with her longevity and sustained success coming across three separate decades.
Winning her first title in 1999 and then again the following year with SCP Ruzomberok, she went on to repeat the feat with consecutive titles in 2007 and 2008 at Sparta&K M.R. Vidnoje. That was followed by perhaps the most eye-catching win of all her triumphs during 2015, when she led underdogs ZVVZ USK Praha to the top of the EuroLeague Women podium.
In a career spent coaching the biggest names in the global women's game, Hejkova has also collected an eye-bulging number of domestic titles too, managing to amass 22 National Championships in four different countries.
Much loved and respected by her peers, she has also coached internationally at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and FIBA Women's EuroBasket at the helm of Slovak Republic and Russia, managing to also collect an Olympic medal during her time spent as an Assistant Coach.
Hejkova was also a decorated player before she moved into coaching, managing to secure the Ronchetti Cup and the Czech Championship.
| Name | Natalia Hejkova |
| Category of Inductee | Coach |
| Date of birth | April 7, 1954 |
| Place of birth | Zilina, Slovakia |
| Nationality | Slovak |
| Clubs | SCP Ruzomberok (1987-2003) Slovakian national team (1997-2000,2011) MKB Euroleasing Sopron (2003-2006) Sparta&K Moscow Region Vidnoje (2006-2008) Russian national team (2006-2008) Dynamo Moscow (2008-2009) Ros Caseres Valencia (2011) USK Praha (2012-present) [/unordered] |
| Coaching highlights | Central European SuperCup Champion (1994) Hungarian-Slovak Cup Champion (1995) FIBA European Championship for Women silver medalist as Assistant Coach (1997) Participated in FIBA World Championship for Women (1998) Participated in FIBA European Championship for Women (1999) Five-time EuroLeague Women Champion (1999, 2000, 2007, 2008, 2015) FIBA All-Star Game (2006, 2007) FIBA European championship gold medalist as Assistant Coach (2007) Olympic bronze medalist as Assistant Coach (2008) FIBA European Cup finalist (2009) Participated in FIBA European Championship for Women (2011) FIBA Europe SuperCup Women Champion (2015) 22 national titles in 4 different countries (10 Slovak Republic, 3 Czechoslovakia, 2 Russian, 7 Czech Republic) [/unordered] |
| Individual highlights | Czech Women's Basketball League gold medalist as a player (1973) Ronchetti Cup gold medalist as a player (1976) EuroLeague Women best basketball coach award (2014-2015) Member of Slovak Basketball Hall of Fame since 2018 Multiple Coach of the Year Award by Slovak Basketball Association Award "The Most Successful Slovak Coach of Basketball Players in the 20th Century" 2000 Participated in 13 FIBA Final Four with 4 different clubs [/unordered] |
The 2019 Class will be enshrined into FIBA's Hall of Fame during a special ceremony taking place in Beijing, China, on August 30, on the eve of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 tipping off.
FIBA