FIBA mourns passing of Honorary President George E. Killian

It is with deep sadness that FIBA on Thursday heard of the passing of Honorary President, George E Killian.

The New York native, who held FIBA's highest post from 1990 to 1998, passed away at the age of 93 on Wednesday.

FIBA President Horacio Muratore said: "George will always be remembered for his unwavering commitment and dedication to our sport. The passionate way in which he advocated for the promotion and development of basketball in the Americas - as well as all around the world - was a huge contribution to our movement."

FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member Patrick Baumann: "Our personal memories of him are very strong as his FIBA Presidency falls in the early days of our involvement with FIBA. During this period, we worked closely together and continued our fruitful cooperation later when he became President of FISU."

Killian had a long and extremely successful career in sports administration, during which he achieved countless achievements, many of them in the field of basketball.

His contributions to the sport saw him receive the prestigious FIBA Order of Merit in 2000.

A decade later, he was awarded even more recognition for his countless accomplishments when enshrined into the FIBA Hall of Fame as a contributor as part of the 2010 Class.