Pro Video Basketball Hall Of Fame Cion Design

CELEBRATE THE GAME

The bouncing of the ball. The satisfying swish of a perfect shot. The blaring of the buzzer and the roaring of the crowd. The excitement of a fast-paced basketball game has been delighting fans around the world for over a hundred years. To honor basketball – the game, the players, and the magic moments that thrill fans every day, the United States Mint is calling on American artists to compete to design a coin celebrating this beloved sport.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act (Public Law 115-343) was signed into law by President Trump on December 21, 2018 and authorizes the Mint to create domed $5 gold, $1 silver, and half-dollar clad coins. The reverse (tails) design for the coins will depict a basketball, while the obverse (heads) design will be selected in this public competition.

These commemorative coins will be released in 2020 to recognize the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's 60th Anniversary and are sure to delight collectors as well as basketball fans around the world.

DON'T MISS YOUR SHOT! Stay tuned and sign up today to receive on-sale information and updates from the United States Mint about this program.

IMPORTANT DATES

basketball hall of fame 2020 commemorative coin design competition

Applications Open: March 19, 2019

Applications Deadline: April 15, 2019

Artists Notified if Selected to Submit a Design: May 2019

Submissions Must be Received By: June 2019

Winner Announced By: the end of 2019

Read Official Rules

NAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was founded in 1959 to honor and celebrate basketball's greatest moments and people. Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball, the museum honors more than three hundred Hall of Fame inductees and more than one hundred years of basketball history. In addition to its collection of memorabilia, the museum is also known for its educational outreach programs that use basketball to teach young students around the world the important lessons on a variety of topics including: financial literacy, mathematics, civil rights, leadership of character, women's and men's history, and geography.

Surcharges from this commemorative coin program are authorized to be paid to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to fund an endowment that will enable increased operations and educational programming.

INVENTION OF BASKETBALL

As popular as basketball is today, it's easy to forget its humble roots. In Springfield, Massachusetts, a young physical education instructor named James Naismith introduced the game of "basket ball" to his class on December 21, 1891. Naismith utilized elements of many games, including American and English rugby, lacrosse, soccer, and a child's game known as "duck on a rock." Two peach baskets were nailed to the lower rails of the gymnasium balcony, Naismith drafted a list of thirteen rules, and the game was born. Originally developed to provide another athletic activity in between football and baseball seasons, the popular sport would soon grow into its own, and only three years later, was being played in more than a dozen nations.

Celebrate the Game

Today, basketball is enjoyed by players and fans of all ages. From the children shooting hoops in their driveway to a professional level game, basketball is a beloved pastime around the globe.

Content last updated on October 1, 2019