Springfield, Massachusetts welcomed basketball royalty over the weekend as the city and the Hall of Fame further commemorated the sport’s birthplace on “World Basketball Day.”
It was 133 years ago when James Naismith, a physical education instructor at the YMCA, first introduced “basket ball” – an indoor sport perfect for staying active during the region's cold winters.
It caught on – and over a century later, through the shot clock, dunk shot and 3-pointer, its invention is still being celebrated - including a new monument in the City of Homes on the grounds it was first played on.
Joining a small shrine dedicated to basketball’s origins, a special basketball bench has been installed in the city’s Mason Square neighborhood, donated by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
On hand for its dedication Saturday was Julius “Dr. J” Erving, a decorated ABA and NBA star and University of Massachusetts Amherst alum.
Dr. J is no stranger to Springfield, as Mayor Domenic Sarno recounted – making use of the local Dunbar Community Center’s basketball court.
“He has some big Springfield connections here,” the mayor said alongside Erving and various community leaders at the dedication. “Jesse Spinks, my dear friend, played in many a ball games with Dr. J, and I still say the High School of Commerce got robbed at the Boston Garden in 1969, for that state championship…”
“I know what that's like – getting robbed in the Garden,” Erving joked.
Both a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, Erving's professional career featured numerous MVP and All-Star honors, as well as an NBA championship in 1983 with the Philadelphia 76ers, plus American Basketball Association championships in '74 and '76 with the New York Nets.
He recalled some of his earliest days on the court Saturday, including two seasons with the Minutemen where he averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per contest.
“Back in 1968, when I decided to go to UMass, I got on the campus, and there were, maybe 10-12,000 students there - there were 100 Black students,” Erving recounted. “And the 100 Black students came from Boston, Springfield and within the state, as well as a certain number of athletes, maybe about 25 athletes - football, basketball and the like. So, things have greatly changed since that time, and now I'm happy to come back and see that, you know, 20,000+ students are there - it's a very diverse campus.”
Speaking to his accolades was Springfield State Representative Bud Williams.
“I'm a true, loyal Bill Russell fan, but Dr. J was the ambassador for, not only basketball, but for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” he said. “He brought us great fame and fortune, and [is]such a good, good individual. But when he came down here… Jesse was playing against you, and we had some other guys, and he really showed up - he was like Connie Hawkins! He had … what he had – what a class act.”
Saturday also marked World Basketball Day, celebrating the sport and recognizing Naismith introducing it to the world.
The bench installed off of State Street further commemorates the sport's inventor, albeit, it might be a little while before it says as much.
“We are going to carve this granite when it gets warmer. The only thing harder than granite is cold granite, so we have to wait until the summer time to inscribe into it, but I've got here what it says,” said John Doleva, the Hall of Fame's president and CEO. “It's going to say ‘This bench marks the site [of] the first game of basketball - Played on December 21, 1891 - Invented by James Naismith - YMCA gymnasium at the corner of State and Sherman streets - In a community now known as Mason Square, Springfield, MA.'”
UMass was playing down the street at the MassMutual Center, taking part in the MGM Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame Classic against Arizona State.
Despite leading in the first half, the Minutemen fell 78-62.
