Former Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina headlines FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2021

Former Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina headlines the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2021 alongside Dream Team head coach Chuck Daly and famed Greek point guard Panagiotis Giannakis.

The FIBA Hall of Fame will honor the Class of 2020 and 2021 in a virtual ceremony on June 18, after the former had their enshrinement delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Messina was an assistant on Gregg Popovich’s coaching staff from 2014 to 2019 but built his world-renowned reputation as a EuroLeague legend with Virtus Bologna and CSKA Moscow.

The Italian playcaller has six Italian League, six Russian League, and four EuroLeague championships on his decorated résumé. And FIBA named him one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague contributors of all time in 2008.

Ettore Messina signed a three-year contract in the summer of 2019 to become head coach and President of Basketball Operations of Olimpia Milano, the most titled club in the history of Italian basketball.

The storied skipper guided Olimpia Milano to the 2021 Italian Cup earlier this season and now looks to lead them to their first EuroLeague championship since they defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv in 1988.