The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame recently completed a $25-million renovation project. Now open to visitors, this sports shrine is much more than a museum. The hall of fame’s design task force consisted of an inside team of senior managers and curatorial staff, along with an architectural design firm, Cambridge Seven. 

Visitors begin their tour by watching a 20-minute film of dazzling basketball highlights. Then it’s on to the story of basketball and how it was invented in December 1891 in Springfield by James Naismith, a professor at the YMCA Training School. The plethora of exhibits include a variety of galleries, including one that honors numerous coaching legends like American International College graduate Jim Calhoun of the University of Connecticut. This story is a subscriber exclusive on MassLive.