The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday that the enshrinement ceremony will be moved to Oct. 12-13 to accommodate the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will be held in July and August. The original dates for the enshrinement ceremony were Aug. 16-17, but in a statement, the Hall of Fame stated that due to requests to accommodate the "extensive and expanding summer schedule," the ceremony has been moved.
Per the statement:
"The Hall of Fame appreciates the input from friends across the basketball community and the recommendations of our production partners regarding a schedule adjustment for our Enshrinement Ceremonies," John L. Doleva, President & CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame said. "We understand the importance of the burgeoning Olympic basketball events to our broader constituencies and regret any inconvenience caused by the change. This one-time move to October assures that we are best positioned to once again create a great experience for our guests and deliver viewers a first-class presentation to celebrate our esteemed Class."
The ceremony will take place on Sunday, Oct. 13, in Springfield, Mass., with a slew of events leading up to that over the prior day. For the 2024 class, there will be 13 inductees, highlighted by Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups and Seimone Augustus. Jerry West will also be inducted for a third time, this time as a contributor after previously being enshrined as a player and a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic team.
Also being enshrined will be Michael Cooper, Walter Davis, Dick Barnett, Michele Timms, Herb Simon, Doug Collins, Bo Ryan, Harley Redin and Charles Smith.
The Olympics' closing ceremonies are on Aug. 11, and the enshrinement ceremony's original date was not until Aug. 17, so it's unclear exactly why there were requests to move the event. But whatever the exact reason, all of the inductees will have to wait a little bit longer to get their orange jackets.
