The NBA Hall of Fame
Not every NBA player can expect to be honored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In fact, only 295 individuals have been chosen as inductees to the hall of fame. The hall is different than other halls of fame. The basketball hall of fame honors people who have played for teams all over the world, and even some who play for non-professional teams.
While they are more open to those they will admit to the NBA hall of fame, the screening process is still intense. First, a person has to receive five votes from the seven people present in the first screening committee. They then move on to another complicated voting process. If they receive 75 percent of the votes during this process they can be inducted.
Being part of the hall of fame of any sport is quite an honor. Many NBA athletes who have shown incredible skill still do not merit the honor of being a hall of famer. This sometimes leads to controversy surrounding that person and the hall of fame. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is no stranger to this controversy. Some people wonder if the screening procedures used by the hall are fair. Some people wonder why certain great figures in basketball still have not been inducted into the hall of fame.
It is hard to define the NBA Hall of Fame. Is it the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, or is it the people that are honored inside? The answer to this question is found through visiting the hall of fame and gaining an appreciation for what it honors. Then maybe you can decide what a hall of fame is really all about.
About the Building:
Image via Wikipedia
The original NBA hall of fame was much smaller than the one that is used today. It opened on February 17, 1968. The hall was more popular than it had been built to be. On June 30, 1985, a bigger basketball hall of fame was opened. Popularity for the sport continued to increase over the years and soon even the bigger building was not big enough.
In 2002 the new building was officially opened to the public. The newer
building cost 45 million dollars to build and houses 40,000 square feet of basketball stuff. Upon entering the building patrons can see homage to all of the inductees. The building is filled with all kinds of exhibits. There are skill challenge exhibits, live clinics, and shooting challenges. Interactive exhibits aren’t all the building has to offer either. It is packed to the brim with actual basketball artifacts from the ages.
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- 2010 Basketball Hall of Fame: Scottie Pippen inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (sports.espn.go.com)
