By Veronica An
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened its new 80,000 square-foot, $103 million building in 2002. This historic landmark in Springfield, Massachusetts. The building commemorates the physical education instructor, James Naismith, who introduced the game of basketball to a class of 18 young men in December 21, 1891 at the YMCA International Training School. The first Basketball Hall of Fame opened in 1968 which coincided with the 18th annual NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden. After many renovations and upgrades, the National Association of Basketball Coaches raised enough funds to renovate and reopen the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Coaches Larry Brown, Lute Olson, and Kay Yow and, players Drazen Petrovic and Magic Johnson were the first Inductees in the new Honors Ring during the 2002 ceremony.