Mohegan Sun to Host Ceremony on Saturday, May 15

Springfield, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today its newly established schedule of events surrounding the Enshrinement of the highly anticipated Class of 2020. Due to the global pandemic, the event was postponed from August 2020 to May 14-16, 2021. To allow for proper physical distancing and additional COVID-19 safety protocols, the Hall of Fame has elected to relocate Enshrinement for one year from Springfield, Mass. to an environmentally controlled venue at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn with all events being held in one single site.

“There has been great interest surrounding the Class of 2020 as potentially one of our most historic classes to date,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “We are grateful to our longtime marketing partner Mohegan Sun for providing a beautiful venue where we can properly honor these iconic figures in basketball while accounting for the health and safety of our attendees. Coinciding with the reveal of our multi-million-dollar museum renovations, we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the Class of 2020.”

The event schedule for the Class of 2020 Enshrinement Weekend is as follows (all times eastern*):

*Event start times are subject to change

Friday, May 14th

2:00 p.m. – Class of 2020 Press Conference 

5:00 p.m. – Hall of Fame Awards Celebration and Gala

Saturday, May 15th

5:00 p.m. – Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony

Sunday, May 16th

1:00 p.m. – Hall of Fame Ribbon Cutting

($24 million dollar renovation including Jerry Colangelo Court of Dreams and Museum Galleries)

The Hall of Fame Awards Celebration and Gala will recognize Hall of Fame Award winners from 2020 including John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement recipient Tim Nugent, Curt Gowdy Media Award recipients Michael Wilbon, Mike Breen, Jim Gray and TNT’s Inside the NBA, as well as Mannie Jackson Human Spirit Award recipients Wayne Embry, George Raveling and Bill Russell.

The highly anticipated Class of 2020 includes: 18-time NBA All-Star and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, 15-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan, 15-time NBA All-Star and nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection Kevin Garnett, four-time National Coach of the Year Eddie Sutton, two-time NBA Champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich, 10-time WNBA All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings, three-time NCAA National Championship Coach of Baylor Kim Mulkey, five-time Division II National Coach of the Year Barbara Stevens and longtime FIBA executive Patrick Baumann.

A limited number of VIP Ticket Packages are available at this time. Any remaining single event tickets will be available for purchase Monday, March 15. For further information, a listing of COVID-19 protocols surrounding this event and purchasing options. visit www.hoophall.com/Enshrinement/Tickets.

As the health and safety of the Hall of Famers, fans and staff is of the utmost importance, the Basketball Hall of Fame will continue to work with the Mohegan Tribal Health Department to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely in the coming months and provide updates as needed. For more information and the latest updates, visitwww.hoophall.com/Enshrinement or follow @hoophall on Twitter and Instagram.

About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall #20HoopClass or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.

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