Memorabilia
The College Basketball Experience honors hoops legends as fans relive March Madness
KANSAS CITY, MO–When the elevator door opened to the second floor of The College Basketball Experience, I was greeted by a large photo of Bob Knight from the mid-1970s, instructing his Indiana University team in the locker room.
I immediately knew this was going to be a great basketball journey—and it was.
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The College Basketball Experience, connected to T-Mobile Center, is 41,500 square feet of basketball joy. It houses the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, memorabilia, history and, of course, memories.
See college basketball here, experience college basketball here.
There are, for instance, plenty of interactive elements to The College Basketball Experience, such as “Beat The Clock,” where fans try to make a game-winning shot before the buzzer. At “Step To The Line,” they face the pressure of a hostile arena while attempting to make as many free throws as possible in a set amount of time. There also are options to slam dunk. Thankfully, the rims sit at lower than normal basketball height.
Many skills of the game have an activity station—rebounding, passing, three-point shooting, free-throw shooting, and more. Naturally, there are multiple pop-a-shot machines to test your accuracy.
And, of course, you also can sit at the ESPNU desk and call the highlights of actual NCAA basketball action.
There are numerous kiosks with fascinating insight from coaches and players.
The building looks intriguing on the outside and inside is filled with lore and legends, icons and immortals. The College Basketball Experience and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame were established on Oct. 10, 2007.
Hardwood, naturally, is in the elevator.
Throughout the Experience, there are large, mounted posters spotlighting greats of the game like Wilt Chamberlain, detailing their collegiate accolades.
The Wall of Champions honors the men’s Division I National Champions, including Connecticut’s titles in 2023 and 2024.
My favorite is the 1987 Indiana Hoosiers national title, a 74-73 win over Syracuse. I can still see Keith Smart hitting that game-winning basket in the final seconds.
Test your wingspan versus past college stars, or your vertical jump.
Visitors also can compare their shoe size to larger-than-life legends, such as Shaquille O’Neal, who wears a size 23.
The feeling of March Madness is ever-present, with super-sized posters of college greats, such as Lew Alcindor, Oscar Robertson, Tim Duncan, Elgin Baylor, and Ralph Sampson.
Banners hang in the court area honoring past classes of inductees, showcasing such legends as Doug Collins (class of 2016).
There are replica trophies and game-used basketballs, photos a plenty and articles and exhibits on the stars and stories from the game’s past.
The timeline section is interesting, and yep, the 1990s shows No. 23 from the University of North Carolina. The 1970s spotlight John Wooden and the 1960s feature Alcindor, soon to become NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The small merchandise store features reasonably-priced shirts, hats and more. There also are bobbleheads and signed basketballs of past classes.
Inside the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, there is the famed crystal basketball, plus detailed information for all inductees, including videos and more.
The Founding Class in 2006 included Kareem, Wooden, Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and my favorite, Bob Knight, among others.
Other past inductees include Jud Heathcote (2009), Charles “Lefty” Driesell (2007), Dick Vitale (2008), Calbert Cheaney (2019), Billy Packer (2008), Paul Pierce (2021), Rolando Blackman (2015), Lou Henson (2015), and others.
The Hall of Fame also has honored legendary teams, such as the 1963 Loyola University (Chicago) squad, 1965 Texas Western University and 1975 Indiana University, though the plaque erroneously lists it as the University of Indiana.
For each class, there is an autographed basketball, signed by the honorees.
Kevin Henderson, CEO of The College Basketball Experience, once said it is not a museum, but rather a high-energy, highly-interactive place where casual and hard-core fans of all ages can totally immerse themselves in the game of college basketball.
So true. The College Basketball Experience is a must-see, must-experience venue for sports fans to relive March Madness year-round.
