It was on this day in 1968 that the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame opened its doors to the public. It is located in Springfield, Massachussets and is named after James Naismith, the creator of basketball. Naismith invented the sport in 1891 while teaching a class at Springfield College.
As of today, the Hall is home to 295 of the best players, coaches, referees and contributors to the game of basketball. The recent class of 2009 is considered by many to be the greatest group ever entered in a single year. Michael Jordan, David Robinson and John Stockton all received the honor in 2009.
In 2011, the likes of Dennis Rodman, Chris Mullin and Arvydas Sabonis were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. This year’s list of nominees includes Reggie Miller, Vlade Divac, Tim Hardaway and Mark Jackson.
Here is a clip of Michael Jordan’s induction speech.
Notable Birthdays
Jim Brown, NFL – Born February 17th 1936 (age 75) in St. Simons Island, Georgia
Michael Jordan, NBA – Born February 17th 1963 (age 48) in Brooklyn, New York
Luc Robitaille, NHL – Born February 17th 1966 (age 45) in Montreal, Quebec