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Media Wall News > Culture > Canadian Basketball Artifacts Relocation Threatens National Treasures
Culture

Canadian Basketball Artifacts Relocation Threatens National Treasures

Amara Deschamps
Last updated: October 8, 2025 4:13 AM
Amara Deschamps
2 weeks ago
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The maple leaf sits embroidered on his warm-up jacket, nearly faded now but still recognizable after decades. In a climate-controlled room in Toronto’s east end, Dr. James Naismith’s personal artifacts rest alongside the only known recording of his voice and handwritten diaries detailing the birth of basketball in 1891.

I run my fingers over the protective glass separating me from these treasures at the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame’s temporary storage facility. The collection feels both fragile and monumental – a physical timeline of our nation’s often overlooked contribution to one of the world’s most popular sports.

“People don’t realize how Canadian basketball really is,” says Michael Cvitkovic, who has spent the past five years as the facility’s curator. “When they learn Naismith was born in Almonte, Ontario, their eyes light up. There’s this pride that emerges.”

But that pride is at risk. The collection – valued at over $5 million and including more than 1,000 artifacts spanning 130 years – faces potential relocation to the United States after years of struggling to secure permanent Canadian housing.

“We’ve approached three levels of government repeatedly,” Cvitkovic explains, showing me correspondence dating back to 2016. “The response has been positive but ultimately without financial commitment. Meanwhile, two American museums have made formal offers.”

The artifacts tell a uniquely Canadian story. Naismith, who invented basketball while teaching physical education at Springfield College in Massachusetts, maintained his Canadian identity throughout his life. His original 13 rules, scrawled on two pages of a notebook (the original sold for $4.3 million at auction in 2010), fundamentally changed physical education and created a global phenomenon.

Statistics Canada data shows basketball participation among Canadian youth has increased 26% since 2015, making it the fastest-growing team sport in the country. The Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA championship catalyzed this growth, with Basketball Canada reporting record registration numbers in 2022-2023.

Dr. Ann Hall, sports historian at the University of Alberta, believes losing these artifacts would deal a significant blow to Canadian cultural heritage. “Basketball isn’t just a game – it’s become a vehicle for cultural identity, especially in diverse urban communities,” Hall told me during a recent interview. “Naismith’s legacy represents Canadian innovation and inclusivity.”

Walking through the collection, I’m struck by items that tell stories beyond Naismith himself. There’s a jersey worn by Edmonton Commercial Grads player Kay MacRitchie from the 1924 Olympic demonstration – a women’s team that dominated globally decades before gender equity in sports was even considered. Nearby sits a weathered scorebook from the Toronto Huskies’ first game against the New York Knicks in 1946, marking the first NBA game ever played.

The financial reality remains stark. Canada Basketball, the sport’s national governing body, has provided temporary housing but lacks resources for a permanent museum. Operating costs for proper preservation, exhibition space, and staffing are estimated at $1.2 million annually.

Heritage Canada spokesperson Martine Courage confirmed via email that while the ministry recognizes the collection’s significance, “current funding frameworks don’t align with establishing new permanent museums.” She noted that preservation grants exist but require matching private funding.

Meanwhile, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts has extended a formal offer to house the collection, promising prominent placement and recognition of its Canadian origins.

“It would be housed with dignity and seen by thousands,” acknowledges Cvitkovic, “but it would no longer be on Canadian soil, where these stories have their deepest resonance.”

During my visit, a school group from Thorncliffe Park Public School arrives – twenty-five Grade 7 students, mostly new Canadians. Their teacher explains many discovered basketball upon arriving in Canada, finding community through neighborhood courts and Raptors fandom.

Twelve-year-old Arman, who moved from Syria three years ago, stares transfixed at Naismith’s worn leather ball. “I didn’t know a Canadian invented this,” he says quietly. “That makes me feel like I can invent something too.”

This moment crystalizes what’s at stake – not just artifacts, but tangible connections to possibility and belonging.

Several private donors have recently formed the Canadian Basketball Heritage Foundation, aiming to raise $10 million for a permanent facility. Their proposal includes interactive exhibits, community programming, and traveling displays to bring these treasures to communities across Canada.

“We’re not just preserving objects,” explains foundation chair Denise Dignard, former Olympic basketball player. “We’re protecting the physical embodiment of stories that remind Canadians who we are and what we’ve contributed to the world.”

As Canada’s basketball profile rises internationally – with players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and RJ Barrett becoming NBA stars – the irony of potentially losing our basketball heritage isn’t lost on those fighting to keep it here.

The foundation has secured approximately $3.8 million in pledges but faces a December deadline before serious consideration of American offers begins.

Standing before Naismith’s weathered jacket, I’m reminded that national identity often resides in unexpected objects – things that connect us across generations and tell us something about who we are. In the gentle decay of these artifacts lies a uniquely Canadian story of innovation and inclusion that deserves preservation on the soil where it began.

The question remains whether Canadians will recognize what might be lost before these treasures, like so many of our athletes, find their permanent home south of the border.

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TAGGED:Basketball canadienBasketball HistoryCanadian Basketball HeritageCanadian Sports IdentityJames Naismith LegacyMusées canadiensSports Cultural Preservation
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