Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Reveals Renovations Amid Hugely Successful 30 Million Dollar Capital Campaign

Museum Now Features Grand Lobby, New Exhibits, Surround-Sound Theater and Other Technological Advances

Springfield, Mass. — Early in 2015, Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Board of Governors, announced the launch of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s “It’s Time to Step Forward” Capital Campaign to support the renovation of the museum and solidify the Hall’s endowment. In the nearly three years since, over $30 million has been pledged from members of the national basketball community, as well as individual donors and Connecticut and Massachusetts-based organizations.

Located in the Birth City of Basketball, Springfield, Massachusetts, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage. The Hall of Fame’s iconic domed building opened in 2002 and serves as the game’s mecca hosting over 225,000 basketball enthusiasts in the museum and over 1 million in the Hall of Fame complex annually.

Today, the Basketball Hall of Fame hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Phase 1 in its multi-million-dollar renovation, its first since opening over 15 years ago.Renovations and additions revealed included the Tip-Off Pavilion Lobby Presented by Mohegan Sun featuring images of iconic players and moments in the game, the impressive modern surround sound NIKE Theater, a donor recognition wall featuring an interactive kiosk, and the Coaches Circle exhibit which will pay tribute to Dr. James Naismith and celebrate current coaches who are following in his footsteps by emphasizing a commitment to positively impacting communities, players, peers, and society as a whole.

Also unveiled was the highly anticipated Players Locker Room which highlights 24 of the most legendary Hall of Famers in an interactive exhibit, honoring their careers while sharing inspirational and personal stories from players like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Class of 2018 enshrinees Grant Hill and Jason Kidd.

"Today is a very exciting day for the Basketball Hall of Fame as we celebrate a new look to our museum and thank our many generous supporters,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “We continually strive to be the finest sports museum in the world, celebrating today’s greats and the legends who paved the way. The updates we’ve been able to make to our venue will help us to continue our mission and offer a tremendous experience for the fans of the game we love.”

Proposed technological renovations at the Hall of Fame in future phases will engage the millions of basketball fans who cannot travel to Springfield through digital media access to the museum’s exhibits and inspirational stories. The museum’s full renovation is expected to be complete by the end of 2019.

At today’s ceremony, the Hall also took time to recognize its many generous individual donors as well as organizations that have contributed to the Campaign such as Mohegan Sun, the MassMutual Foundation, Balise Auto Group, the Davis Foundation, Excel Dryer, Florence Bank and a number of other organizations and private donors, including 100% of the Hall’s Board members, who have made this renovation possible.

The Capital Campaign has received generous backing from many in the global basketball community including Junior Bridgeman, Jerry Colangelo, Grant Hill, Mannie Jackson, Michael Jordan, Phil Knight, Nancy Lieberman, George Raveling, Adam Silver and Elaine Wynn as well as several NBA ownership groups. Notable coaches that have stepped forward to support the cause include, Steve Alford, Geno Auriemma, Jim Boeheim, Larry Brown, Jim Calhoun, John Calipari, Rick Carlisle, Billy Donovan, Mike Krzyzewski, George Raveling, Bill Self, C. Vivian Stringer, John Thompson, Dick Vitale, Jay Wright, Roy Williams and others.

Since the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened its doors in 1959, it has operated as a 501 c 3 not for profit organization relying on the generosity of others to preserve the legacy of the game. To learn more, visit www.hoophall.com.

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