SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – This weekend that many basketball fans have been waiting for is finally here as several men’s and women’s basketball legends prepare to get enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but they won’t be the only ones getting recognized.
“Enshrinement weekend just gets busier and busier. We got a great class coming in Sunday for our ceremony,” said John Doleva, president and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
One of the most well-known sports weekends in New England is about to tip-off and around 1,800 people are expected to be at Symphony Hall in downtown Springfield to see some of the game’s best become immortalized. They include Chauncey Billups and ‘Mr. Logo,’ the late Jerry West. Longtime player Vince Carter is also being inducted and fans like Isaiah Zacchigna are excited.
“I watched Vince Carter growing up. I loved watching all his dunks. He could jump out of the gym and be from Buffalo or close to Toronto…loved watching him in the playoffs,” Zacchigna said.
Zacchigna is visiting from Buffalo, NY and decided to stop by the Hall of Fame on Friday. Knowing one of the game’s best dunkers is getting enshrined, he knew he had to wear his jersey.
“I was like ‘Oh, they’re getting enshrined this weekend. I’m going to wear my jersey. Maybe I’ll see them today’ but probably not. That would be cool,” Zacchigna noted.
People of all ages will be able to enjoy some extra content this time around, including a 32-player NBA 2K25 tournament. In addition, some of the game’s best wheelchair players will be recognized, as well as some of the biggest superfans.
“We’re recognizing superfans that you see at the game…celebrities. We’ve got Spike Lee this weekend, we’ve got Billy Crystal coming this weekend. We’ve got a gentleman from Philly, Alan Horwitz, who just doesn’t miss a 76ers game,” Doleva added.
It’s a weekend that is, overall, expected to be a slam dunk.
“We’re very proud to present a product that, I think, meets kind of the fun and the energy and excitement of basketball, which is really becoming the world’s favorite sport,” Doleva explained.
The enshrinement ceremony begins at 6 p.m. Sunday. The weekend concludes Monday at Mohegan Sun when the UCONN and URI men’s basketball teams square-off in a preseason matchup in the first-ever Hall of Fame Enshrinement Game. You can CLICK HERE to learn more about what’s happening this weekend.
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