20 Ways to Explore the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA

Massachusetts is known for many historical events and “firsts” and one of the most well known accomplishments is the “birthplace of basketball” in the late 19th century. Our family recently stopped in Springfield, Massachusetts to tour the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and explore the Hall’s many interactive exhibits and practice our jump shot in the center court. 

James Naismith is credited with the creation of the sport, having been forced to find a “safer” sport to keep athletes in shape indoors during the cold winter months. A physical education instructor at the Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA, Naismith used peach baskets and an old soccer ball for the first games, played in late 1891 on the wooden gym floor inside the YMCA. Naismith established 13 simple rules for the game, which quickly became popular with both men and women, athletes and non athletes. The following year, women began playing basketball at nearby Smith College. Basketball became an official Olympic sport in 1936 and the United States team won the first gold medal.

The first Hall of Fame opened in 1968 on the campus of Springfield College and later moved to a separate building in downtown Springfield in 1985. Needing to expand again, the Hall of Fame reopened in its current location in 2002 and now welcomes over a million visitors each year and hosts Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremonies every year (slated for August 2026).

Travel Tips:

20 Ways to Have Fun at the Hall of Fame:

1. Start with viewing the 10 minute video about the history of the sport of basketball in the Hall of Fame Theater on the main level. It runs every 20 minutes throughout the day.
2. Compare your hand size, height, and arm span against some of the sport’s most popular (and largest!) athletes.
3. Find the display celebrating the first female to dunk in a WNBA game (Lisa Leslie in 2002)
4. Use the interactive screens to recreate famous basketball plays perfected by players and teams and master their techniques. 
5. See the first basketball ever used, and other early uniforms and even a piece of the first court floor, in the second floor history of basketball exhibit.
6. Check out jerseys and uniforms from the Amateur Athletic Union, which began in 1897 and basketballs dating back to the 1940s.
7. Watch film footage from famous games and nail biting buzzer beaters.
8. Learn about the “Jewish Basketball Experience” and “Women in Basketball” in the exhibit in Breaking Barriers.
9. Compare shoe sizes and see which NBA star has the biggest sneaker size.
10. See the famous bedazzled jacket of NBA Superfan Jimmy Goldstein and research other popular NBA fans.

11. Play an interactive game on the tabletop screen.
12. Honor the legacy of Kobe Bryant in the exhibit featuring his trading cards and uniforms.
13. Sit at the desk in a replica TNT broadcast booth and pretend to announce a game.
14. Choose sides in the Righteous Rivals exhibit.
15. Listen to interviews with members of the National Basketball Players Association.
16. Visit the Hall of Honor and see the list of inductees from 1959 to the current year.
17. Head to the center court on the main floor and try to score some points in a variety of baskets.
18. Try dunking in 7’, 8’, and 9’ foot baskets and send the toddler crew to their designated mini court.
19. Count the Slam magazine covers from the past 30+ years.
20. Walk through the pillar displays honoring some of the winningest players in the sport of basketball and see their impressive statistics in the Main Concourse.

Looking for other fun adventures in Springfield? See our full City Guide here. And check out our features of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Tennis Hall of Fame, Sailing Hall of Fame, Racing Hall of Fame, and Baseball Hall of Fame.

Disclosure: Our family was given a media pass to explore the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame; all opinions expressed are my own.