Introducing the Class of 2026 Beyond Basketball
The Berenson Trophy is given to each inductee, named after founder of women’s basketball Senda Berenson. The Beyond the Berenson series is designed to tell the stories of the members of the Class of 2026 outside of their extraordinary basketball accomplishments. The Class of 2026 features some of the greatest players, coaches, and contributors that women’s basketball has ever seen. French legend Isabelle Fijalkowski is one of them.
Isabelle Fijalkowski: The Power of Possibilities in Basketball
“I haven’t been afraid.”
Isabelle Fijalkowski sure hasn’t. She left France to open herself up to new possibilities by playing college basketball in America, about 5,000 miles away from home, at the University of Colorado.
“I always had the dream to discover the world and basketball is a good means to travel,” Fijalkowski remarks. “It was really a goal to get better.”
Basketball was no longer simply a ticket to travel but a common language as Fijalowski entered a new country. The rhythmic sounds of basketballs echoing off the gym floor, the sharp slap of firm passes between teammates, and the swish of the net after the perfect shot were familiar actions that Fijalowski and all her teammates understood. A simple bounce of a basketball became the foundation for friendship.
“They were awesome. They helped me to adjust with the language, to classes, to practice,” Fijalkowski says of her teammates.
After one year as a Buffalo, the foundation was laid for Fijalowski to become a part of the WNBA’s inaugural draft class in 1997. Fijalkowski broke barriers as the first French women player to be drafted when she was selected second overall by the Cleveland Rockers.
“It was unexpected to be called,” Fijalkowski humbly recalls.
Playing professional basketball in America was not originally on her radar, but Fijalowski’s experience in college basketball granted her the exposure to be discovered by WNBA teams. Fijalowski’s prolific career at Colorado, where she averaged 16.1 points and 6.5 rebounds, along with guiding her team to a Big Eight championship season and an Elite Eight appearance, spoke for itself.
Fijalowski’s years on the Rockers was a revolutionary experience. “It was the best of basketball,” Fijalkowski remembers. The difference between the treatment of women professional athletes in the US compared to French professionals was immense.
“They consider you as an athlete. That was not the same as in France,” Fijalkowski explains. “You were just a woman playing basketball. Here, you’re a real athlete. We want to be treated like men and have the good condition to practice, to play, and to get entertainment too.”
Yet, the honor of representing her country remains at the top of the list of Fijalowski's favorite basketball memories. She reflects on the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where the France National Team became the first team in the country’s history to qualify for the Games. They followed up their historic milestone by becoming European Champions in 2001. “We made it as a team,” Fijalowski recalls. “The National Team means a lot to me.”
She is now coaching women’s basketball players in France. Motivated by the influential people who believed in her early on in her journey, Fijalkowski desires to pay it forward to the basketball community.
Fijalkowski notes that her coaches instilled faith and confidence in her growing up. “Basketball makes me feel better as a person,” Fijalkowski expresses. She finds joy in sharing the passion for basketball with young athletes and showing them opportunities that come with the sport.
Fijalkowski has also passed that passion down to her daughter, Alicia Tournebize, who currently plays basketball at the University of South Carolina.
“I never wanted to push her to basketball. I was always looking to help her,” remarks Fijalkowski. She wanted to ensure her daughter played basketball because she loved the sport, rather than feeling pressured to follow in her footsteps.
“I was so happy that it was her project. She really wanted to play basketball at the highest level,” Fijalowski notes.
Fijalowski continues to give back to the game that gave so much to her.
Fijalkowski’s story demonstrates the power of sports to transform lives. Through basketball, she became part of a team and connected with people from different cultures, all while being able to give back to others by helping build their confidence and supporting them on their own journeys.
“It was really important to achieve something in my life, to experience different things,” Fijalowski emphasizes. “It’s the way to be fearless.”
Watch Isabelle’s full interview on our Youtube channel.
Written by Jadyn Zdanavage
