News

Patrick Baumann, the 51-year-old secretary general of basketball’s world governing body, has died of a heart attack at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) said on Sunday.
“Basketball has lost a leader, an advocate and a friend and our thoughts are with Patrick’s wife and two children at this tragic time,” it said.
Baumann was a former player, coach and referee who first joined FIBA as a lawyer in 1994 and was appointed FIBA Secretary General in 2002, after previously serving as deputy. The Swiss national was influential in Olympic circles and an International Olympic Committee member since 2007. He led an IOC panel overseeing the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
He was in forefront in making FIBA its radical changes to governance structure, successfully building and moving into its own state-of-the-art Headquarters outside of Geneva as well as launching 3×3, its urban discipline which became a part of basketball’s program at the Olympics. He was also instrumental in the process of ‘ONE FIBA’, the coming together of all of FIBA’s Regional Offices into one corporate group, with everyone looking and heading in the same direction for the best interests of our beloved sport. Last but not least, he led the way in the creation and implementation of FIBA’s New Competition System.

Thomas Bach, IOC president
“This is a great shock which has hit us all very hard. We can hardly believe this terrible news. Particularly since, even today, we have seen him working hard, as we always knew him, for the sport he loved,”, said.

Adam Silver NBA Commissioner:
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Patrick Baumann. We were just together for the first FIBA World Basketball Summit in Xian, China — an event he established to bring together basketball stakeholders from around the world. Nobody was more dedicated to the growth of basketball than Patrick. He loved the game and recognized its power to transform people’s lives. He was also a dear friend and colleague who I attended countless games and events with over the past 20 years. The NBA family mourns the loss of Patrick and we send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Patricia, his children Bianca and Paul, and his many friends in the basketball and Olympic communities.”