IGUALADA (Spain) – Xavier Fanega Prat is not an academic historian, nor does he work for a sports institution; he is a neighbor from Igualada (Barcelona), a basketball enthusiast, and an exceptional example of how passion can be transformed into a historical preservation endeavor of enormous value. His tireless dedication over more than four decades has shaped one of the most extraordinary private collections in European basketball.
A sports fan since his youth, he practiced athletics, played football, and formed a special bond with basketball, watching pro players and imagining the closing seconds of decisive games at the hoop his father installed next to the family home.
In the 1980s, FIBA Hall of Famer Fernando Martín (Class of 2007) emerged as a prominent figure who, beyond his sporting talent, embodied character, courage, and a fiercely competitive spirit. A pioneer who marked a turning point in the history of Spanish basketball.
He was one of the greatest players in Spanish basketball history, a standout center for Real Madrid, the first Spaniard to make the leap to the NBA (1986), as well as a key figure for the national team that won historic silver medals at EuroBasket 1983 and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Winner of the ACB League four times, the Copa del Rey three times, the European Cup Winner’s twice, and the Korac Cup once, leaving a decisive mark on the modernization of basketball. His career was tragically cut short when he died in a car accident at the age of 27, which elevated him to legendary status. At barely 14 years old, Xavier Fanega channeled his admiration for Fernando Martín with a collage of clippings on his bedroom wall, which later evolved into a meticulous archive collection. The result of his efforts is a valuable collection weighing more than 160 kilograms, comprising press articles, books, magazines, photographs, medals, uniforms, as well as all kinds of documents and various objects linked to the player.
Building and enriching such a collection required far more than personal dedication. In 1985, at a time when digital immediacy was still unimaginable, Xavier had a network of around 300 contacts with whom he exchanged documents by post. This network expanded to 570 contacts with the arrival of email. Most were from different parts of Spain, but connections also stretched across Europe and even across the Atlantic.
The collection, recently donated by Xavier Fanega to the FIBA Foundation, is now preserved within the FIBA Pedro Ferrándiz Library at FIBA headquarters in Mies, Switzerland, where it will remain accessible to future generations.
By entrusting the collection to the Foundation, Xavier embraced a shared belief at the heart of the FIBA Foundation's Cultural Heritage strategy: that basketball's history and knowledge should be safeguarded as a collective legacy for all.
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About the FIBA Foundation
The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports, particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage.
FIBA’s cultural heritage is the heart of the FIBA Foundation’s cultural and historical activities. It is one of the driving forces behind the promotion and dissemination of FIBA’s values.