Basketball Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made important and meaningful contributions to the sport of basketball. The full title of the organization is the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is in Springfield, Massachusetts, where James Naismith, a physical education instructor at the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College), invented the game in December 1891.
The Hall of Fame honors individuals at all levels of basketball, including professional, college, high school, and international. Both men and women are included. Those enshrined include players, coaches, referees, contributors, and teams. Two special screening committees, one for North Americans and the other for women, review nominees. They pass finalists on to the Honors Committee for election. A finalist requires 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. In addition, five committees can enshrine nominees directly into the Hall of Fame. The committees represent (1) North American contributors, (2) the American Basketball Association (ABA), (3) international basketball, (4) veterans who have been away from basketball for at least 35 years, and (5) early African-American pioneers.
In addition to the Hall of Fame, the Springfield facility includes a museum and entertainment center that surveys the history and traditions of basketball. The center offers interactive activities and state-of-the-art technology, including film and video. It also supports a research library. The Hall of Fame opened in 1968.
See also Basketball .
