NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME TO CELEBRATE WORLD BASKETBALL DAY ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21

– Corridor of Famer Julius “Dr. J” Erving to Seem at Youth Clinic and School Basketball Doubleheader at MassMutual Heart –

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame will have a good time World Basketball Day on Saturday, December 21, commemorating the 133rd “birthday” of the game’s invention by Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, Mass.

“World Basketball Day celebrates the affect of basketball and the sport’s distinctive potential to unite a worldwide neighborhood,” stated John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame. “Allow us to not neglect the day (December 21) additionally marks the start date of basketball, invented by James Naismith in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts, on the YMCA Worldwide Coaching Academy. His modest invention has develop into a worldwide phenomenon that’s unparalleled in sport. We’re honored to commemorate this milestone right here in Springfield, the place all of it started, with a sequence of occasions that may encourage the subsequent technology of basketball gamers and followers.”

A sequence of occasions are deliberate to mark this special day:

Youth Basketball Clinic 

A choose group of younger followers will take part in a basketball clinic led by Pope Francis Basketball Head Coach Justin Dalessio at “The Jerry Colangelo Court docket of Desires” on the Corridor of Fame. The clinic will characteristic a particular look by Corridor of Famer and Vice Chairman of the Board Julius “Dr. J” Erving.

Notice: The Youth Basketball Clinic is an invitation-only occasion and never open to the general public.

Bench Dedication

A bench might be devoted at Mason Sq. in Springfield, the location that commemorates the first-ever basketball recreation. Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame President & CEO John L. Doleva and Julius Erving are scheduled to seem at this ceremony.

MGM Springfield Basketball Corridor of Fame Basic, introduced by the Massachusetts Workplace of Journey and Tourism

The day’s celebration will culminate with an thrilling school basketball doubleheader that includes Rhode Island vs. Temple and UMass vs. ArizonaState. Julius Erving, a UMass alumnus, might be acknowledged for his excellent contributions to the game in the course of the Minuteman-Solar Satan matchup.

Concerning the Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame

Situated in Springfield, Massachusetts, the town the place basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame is an impartial non-profit 501(c)(3) group devoted to selling, preserving, and celebrating the sport of basketball at each degree – women and men, novice {and professional} gamers, coaches, and contributors, each domestically and internationally. The Corridor of Fame museum is residence to greater than 450 inductees and over 40,000 sq. toes of basketball historical past. Almost 200,000 individuals go to the Corridor of Fame museum every year to study concerning the recreation, expertise the interactive reveals, and check their expertise on the Jerry Colangelo “Court docket of Desires.” Greatest recognized for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the sport’s elite, the Corridor of Fame additionally operates over 70 highschool and collegiate competitions yearly all through the nation and overseas. For extra info on the Basketball Corridor of Fame group, its museum, and occasions, go to hoophall.com, observe @hoophall, or name 1-877-4HOOPLA.