About the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame
About The Hall
The original New York City Basketball Hall of Fame was created by the Founding Members to honor the outstanding players, coaches, teams, referees, and other contributors to the shining historical legacy of basketball in the great City of New York.
Each year from 1990 to 2017, these special individuals and organizations were inducted into The Hall in an elegant banquet celebration at a special location in New York.
However, the untimely death and illness of The Founding Members, left the organization without leadership and the organization went dormant for 7 years. Until now!
A dedicated new group of hard working, enthusiastic new Board Members, including 3 legacy members who served the original NYC Hall of Fame. This group has joined hands and revived The Hall with a renewed energy and a broader scope.
Our Mission
The Members of this Board of Directors never forgot that our New York basketball experience played an important role in keeping thousands, perhaps millions of NYC kids from falling by the wayside over the years.
The game took place on our playgrounds, school gyms and after school recreation centers supported by various governmental agencies and organizations. It created heroes for kids to emulate, and then mentors to help guide the course of our lives, on and off the court.
We learned the values of fair play, education, discipline, anger management and found a safe haven from the perils of growing up in the streets of New York.
Therefore, aside from honoring the great men and women who deserve our eternal recognition for their contributions, The Hall is committed to make a contribution of our own, to serve the youth and adults of the New York community that includes health, education and nutrition awareness programs.
NYC All-Star Games involving the PSAL, CHSAA and PSAA teams. National and International travel for select high school players is also on our agenda.
Through social media, an actual physical location, relevant memorabilia, membership participation, community outreach and development ”The New York City Basketball Hall of Fame” has the powerful potential and the dedicated individuals, to revitalize a sense of pride across the entire city and beyond.
History of the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame
The New York City Basketball Hall of Fame’s inaugural class was inducted in an All-Star Gala ceremony that took place in NYC in May 1990. The Hall’s first class included All-Time Basketball superstars Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Billy Cunningham, Coach Arnold “Red” Auerbach, Coach Claire Bee, Bob Cousy, William “Pop” Gates, Connie Hawkins, Coach Dick McGuire, Holcombe Rucker, Adolph Schayes and Ms. Zelda Spoelstra. A total of twenty-eight classes of inductees were enshrined between 1990-2017 when the two legendary founders Robert A. “Bob” Williams and Howard “Garf” Garfinkel passed away, followed closely by the passing of founding board members Cecil Watkins and Tom Konchalski themselves members of The Hall.
Founders
Howard Garfinkel
Bob Williams
Tom Konchalski
Cecil Watkins
Howie Evans
Our Current Leadership
On May 24, 2023, a newly constituted board was selected and approved led by the three remaining Legacy Board members Gail Marquis, Ronnie Nunn, and Mel Davis.