MIES (Switzerland) - Alphonse Bilé, a FIBA AfroBasket-winning point guard, captain, and coach of Cote d'Ivoire, is being inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2025.
Bilé was a gifted floor general for "Les Éléphants" from 1971 to 1982, and from 1976 onward, he led the team with distinction as its captain.
The highlight with the national team was an AfroBasket title in 1981 in Mogadishu, Somalia, which came after he had led Côte d'Ivoire to the Final in both 1977 and 1980.
That long-awaited victory not only crowned years of near misses but also delivered the country its first AfroBasket title, a milestone that transformed the basketball landscape in Côte d'Ivoire.
In Mogadishu, Bilé provided guile, exceptional passing, and important baskets—performances that embodied why he was nicknamed “The Magician.”
"He had incredible skill and unparalleled efficiency," said Ivorian Minister of Sports, Adjé Silas Metch.
Bilé was a tremendous competitor who always brought intensity, smart, and flair to the court.
No matter what the competition, when it came to playing for Côte d'Ivoire, he impacted games with his tenacity, playmaking, and defense. At the West Africa Games in 1977, the 1.80m (5ft 11 in) dynamo spearheaded the team's run to the trophy.
All the while, Bilé was a loyal servant to Africa Sport Club Abidjan, from 1970 to 1982, spearheading title runs in the Côte d’Ivoire League in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, and 1978.
In 1981 (the same year he won the AfroBasket), Bilé led the team to the West Africa University Games Championship, a title he also won as coach four years later.
He even had the opportunity to compete at in FIBA's flagship event, the FIBA Basketball World Cup 1982 in Colombia. Four years after that, Bilé coached the team at the World Cup in Spain.
What truly set Bilé's career apart was that he masterminded the nation’s only other AfroBasket title as head coach in 1985—this time on home soil in Abidjan.
Name | Alphonse Bilé |
Category of inductee | Point guard |
Date of birth | 20th May 1950 |
Place of birth | |
Nationality | Ivoirien |
Height | 1.80 m, 5 ft 11 in |
Teams | - Africa Sport Club Abidjan (1970-1982) |
Club highlights | - Five-time Côte d’Ivoire League champion (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978) |
National team highlights | - West Africa University Games Silver medallist (1975) - West Africa University Games Gold medallist (1981) - West African Games Gold medallist (1977) - All Africa Summer Games silver medallist (1978) - Two-time FIBA Afrobasket Silver medallist (1977, 1980) - FIBA Afrobasket Gold medallist (1981) |
Individual highlights | - Played 12 consecutive years for the National Team (1971 - 1982) - Played in 1 World University Games (1979) - Played in one FIBA World Cup (1982) - National Team Captain (1976-1982) - African Selection Captain (1982) - Chevalier de l’Ordre National Madagascar (2009) - Commandeur Mérite Sportif Côte d’Ivoire. - Chevalier de l`Ordre national de la République du Mali (2011)
As Coach : - Club Africa Sports Abidjan (1983-1992) - Five-time Côte d’Ivoire League champion (1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989) - World University Games (1983, 1985) - West Afrobasket Gold medalist (1984) - FIBA AfroBasket Gold medalist (1985) - Coached in one FIBA World Cup (1986) |
FIBA