SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – Basketball fans get ready for a special treat! The prestigious Larry O’Brien trophy recently won by the NBA champion Boston Celtics is currently in Springfield.
If you want to see it, all you have to do is stop by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Fans are getting an up close and personal with this piece of NBA history at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, where the iconic Larry O’Brien trophy won by the Boston Celtics in June when they clinched their 18th NBA championship is now on display for a limited time.
“I feel like it’s a great addition and it’s great to see how the NBA finals, the Celtics won this year so people want to see that and the new addition of the vault is amazing so I feel like it’s an amazing addition to the hall of fame,” expressed Taevon Jackson of Springfield.
The trophy, named after former NBA commissioner Larry O’Brien who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991 has been awarded to every NBA finals champion since 1977 and through Saturday, it’s right here in Springfield, Massachusetts—where basketball was born.
“We’re very proud to be partners with the Celtics and to have the birthplace of basketball just about a mile from the Hall of Fame and then the greatest franchise in sports 90 miles away,” said Matt Zeysing. “It is amazing, what a great thing for Massachusetts and for New England in general.”
Alongside the trophy, fans can also explore the museum’s latest exhibit, “The Vault: Boston Celtics unlocked,” which takes visitors on a walk through the franchise’s decorative past.
“What an amazing synergy going on with the Hall of Fame because in June we opened the vault for the Boston Celtics and so just adjacent to the space,” added Zeysing.
Where you can get your photo with the trophy is the vault and that is all the memorabilia from the years past so Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Red Auerbach, Larry Bird, Kevin McCall, Robert Parish the list literally goes on and on all the way up to Paul Perce, Jayson Tatum, and Jalen Brown so there’s tons of synergy right now.
Trophy viewing hours on Saturday will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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