Exhibit Spotlight - The Penny Marshall Collection

EXHIBIT SPOTLIGHT

THE PENNY MARSHALL COLLECTION

Deep in the Hollywood Hills, where celebrity homes line the streets and stars of all kinds shine so bright, stood one of the world’s finest collections of sports memorabilia. Actor and director Penny Marshall, known for her role on Laverne and Shirley as well as her behind the camera work for A League of Their Own and Big, had been a passionate sports fan dating back to her early days growing up in New York City. What started with a love for her hometown New York Yankees developed into a lifetime pursuit of memorabilia and ephemera representing her love of baseball and basketball.

Penny Marshall passed away December 17, 2018 at the age of 75. One of the entertainment industry’s pioneers was gone but her legacy lived on through her work in television and film and her love for sports would be passed on for generations to witness. In the 1993 Penny Marshall Trust, she decided that upon her death, all her basketball-related memorabilia that she had been collecting her whole life would be donated to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This incredibly generous gift includes hundreds of artifacts ranging from game-worn jerseys

THE PENNY MARSHALL TRUST DONATION IS THE LARGEST SINGLE GIFT OF MEMORABILIA IN THE HISTORY OF THE HALL OF FAME.

and sneakers, autographed basketballs to rare photographs and unique and personal souvenir items. As in life, the journey matters just as much as the destination. In order for this collection to make its way to Springfield, the Hall of Fame’s curatorial team made the trip to Los Angeles to package up this assortment of memorabilia that was even better than had been speculated. On top of the breathtaking views of Los Angeles from the backyard sat a collection of items that spanned multiple sports and multiple eras. Penny dedicated more than 2,000 square feet of her home to showcasing her most prized possessions.

“Walking into that space was like walking through sports history,” Alex Pedro, a junior curator said. “The sheer number of pieces she had was overwhelming. You could tell how passionate she was about sports.”

Her collection didn’t stop and start with just one sport or one specific team. Penny loved basketball, but she enjoyed other sports like boxing, football, and baseball. She was a fan and in turn, those players and teams were fans of hers.

“All along the walls were photos of Penny and players from Dennis Rodman to boxing legend Muhammad Ali,” Alex Pedro recalls. “She also had game-worn jerseys that were personalized to her from players that she had become friends with.”

Whether it is a baseball from her hometown Yankees or a jersey gifted to her from a player after a big game she witnessed courtside, everything has a story and that is what makes this collection so special. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is truly grateful for the donation made by Penny Marshall and we look forward to displaying these artifacts in our newly renovated museum in 2020.

If you or someone you know is a collector and wants to learn more about how our professional staff handles memorabilia or might be considering making a donation to the Basketball Hall of Fame, please contact our chief curator Matt Zeysing at (413) 231- 5523.

TEAMWORK DETERMINATION SELF-RESPECT LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE PERSEVERANCE

These are the life skills reinforced every day on the hardwood. Dr. Naismith knew what he was doing, when he invented the game that snowy day in 1891.

The Annual Fund provides the vital funds needed to maintain exhibits, expand our programs like 60 Days of Summer, support developing partnerships with regional youth programs and ensure that we meet our mission of promoting and preserving the game of basketball at every level - professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on an international level.

Through community outreach programs, engaging the hearts and minds of young visitors when they walk through the doors of our iconic museum or preserving memorabilia of the sports greatest athletes, The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Annual Fund program is at the heart of all we do.

Make a tax deductible gift online at: GIVE.HOOPHALL.COM

or mail your donation to:

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 1000 Hall of Fame Ave Springfield, MA 01105

PERMIT NO 209

Hoophall.com

Facebook: /BBHOF and /thehoophallclassic

Instagram and Twitter: @Hoophall

YouTube Channel: /OfficialHoophall

NAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME THE EARTHLY HOME FOR THE GAME’S IMMORTALS...