Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Basketball hall of fame in Springfield, United States
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is a sports museum in Springfield that documents basketball history from its beginnings to the present day. The silver sphere-shaped dome contains galleries with jerseys, shoes, championship trophies, and interactive stations where visitors can practice their shots.
The Hall of Fame was founded in 1959 without a building; its first facility opened at Springfield College on February 17, 1968. An $11.5 million hall opened beside the Connecticut River on June 30, 1985, and in 2002 the museum moved 100 yards south into a $47 million building by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates.
Induction classes are announced at the Hall itself, and the 2002 ceremony brought in the Harlem Globetrotters and Magic Johnson. The honor ring lists inductees by class, and the large theater for ceremonies seats up to 300. Referees have their own category since 1959, with 18 inducted, most recently Danny Crawford in 2025.
The building at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue holds Center Court, a full-sized basketball court visitors can play on, plus a game gallery, interactive exhibits and several theaters. The large ceremony theater seats up to 300. The dome is illuminated at night, so the silver sphere is visible after dark from the Connecticut River waterfront.
The Hall was established in 1959 by Lee Williams, a former athletic director at Colby College, but had no building of its own until the first facility opened on February 17, 1968. Its 2002 home, designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, cost $47 million and its silver dome is lit at night.
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