The 50 most influential personalities to European Club Basketball over the last half-century were chosen at a meeting on February 3, 2008 in Madrid, Spain by the Euroleague Basketball Experts Committee headed by Mr. Boris Stankovic, the FIBA Secretary General Emeritus and one of the founders of the continental competitions that began in the 1957-58 season. Joining Mr. Stankovic as committee vice-president was ULEB president Eduard Portela. Former playing and coaching legends, a club director, a referee and a media member made up the rest of the panel. The former players are two of the most-crowned champions in European club history, Mr. Sergey Belov of Russia and Mr. Dino Meneghin of Italy. The coaches were former Euroleague winners Mr. Lolo Sainz of Spain and Mr. Dan Peterson of the United States. The club director was Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv's president of almost four decades, Mr. Shimon Mizrahi. Representing game officials was Euroleague Basketball refereeing director Costas Rigas. The media representative was Mr. Jean-Luc Thomas of L'Equipe, the French daily newspaper that proposed the start of continental club competitions in 1957. Mr. Belov was unable to attend the meeting due to prior commitments, but had previously communicated his opinions to the committee. The list of the most influential contributors was made up of 35 players, 10 coaches and 5 referees from among a list of candidates and write-in nominees proposed by fans and committee members themselves. The 50 most influential contributors to European Club Basketball over the last half-century will be honored at season-ending ceremonies to coincide with the Final Four in Madrid from May 2 to 4.