Basketball Museum of Illinois Founders Campaign: Help Build a Permanent Home for Illinois Basketball
Illinois has never been short on basketball stories.
They were written in packed high school gyms, on college campuses, in neighborhood parks, and on professional courts. They belong not only to legendary players and championship coaches but also to officials, broadcasters, parents, administrators, volunteers, and communities that have kept the game alive for generations.
For decades, many of those stories have lived in memories, record books, old photographs, newspaper clippings, trophy cases, and conversations between people who were there. Now they are getting a permanent home.
The Basketball Museum of Illinois Founders Campaign invites individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to help make that home possible and, in doing so, become part of the Museum’s history themselves. It is an invitation to join The Team That Built the Museum.
What Is the Founders Campaign?
The Founders Campaign is a $2.5 million fundraising initiative to help operationalize and sustain the Basketball Museum of Illinois.
The Museum is under construction at the Wintrust Sports Complex in Bedford Park and on schedule to open in late 2027. It is being built to preserve, share, and pass on Illinois basketball history from one generation to the next.
That mission covers the entire game. High school basketball holds a special place in the story, but Illinois basketball reaches from junior high gyms to college basketball, the NBA and WNBA, USA Basketball, officials, media members, coaches, and the many people who helped the sport grow. The Founders Campaign is about making sure those stories have a place to live.
A Museum Built for an Entire State
Illinois basketball is difficult to explain to someone who has never experienced it. A Friday night game in a small town can feel like the center of the world. A city rivalry can fill a gym long before tipoff. A state tournament run can become part of a community’s identity for generations.
Names like Quinn Buckner, Candace Parker, Gene Pingatore, and Dorothy Gaters are part of the larger story. So are the schools, teams, officials, journalists, scorekeepers, families, and fans whose contributions may never appear in a national highlight reel.
Visitors will be able to explore Illinois basketball history, experience the IBCA Hall of Fame, see landmark teams and personalities in the exhibits, and better understand how basketball has reflected larger changes in education, culture, opportunity, and community life across the state, including the impact of Title IX. That is what Founders are helping build.
The Team That Built the Museum
Every museum eventually has an opening day. Only one group of people can say they helped build it.
Every individual, family, business, or organization that makes cumulative gifts of $500 or more before May 15, 2027 becomes a Founder and is permanently recognized on the Founders Wall. At $500, you join the Founding Class. Each level above $500 comes with additional titles and benefits. Because gifts are counted cumulatively, contributions made over time can add up to qualify.
Years from now, visitors will come to learn about Illinois basketball history. They will also see who helped preserve it.
Permanent recognition is intentionally accessible. Museums are often associated with major donors, corporations, and foundations, but the Basketball Museum of Illinois is not being built to preserve the history of a select few. Thousands of people built Illinois basketball, and the Founders Campaign reflects that same idea: many people, many communities, one shared history.
The Founders Wall and Giving Levels
Every Founder is represented on the Founders Wall. Founding Class members are recognized on interactive digital displays. Leadership gifts of $10,000 and above are honored with plaques and, beginning at $100,000, retired jerseys on the Founders Wall. At the highest levels, jerseys also hang in the Museum Theater rafters.
| Level | Title | Recognition |
|---|---|---|
| $500 | Founding Class | Name on the Founders Wall (interactive digital display) + Founding Class benefits |
| $1,000 | Founding Point Guard | Name on the Founders Wall + Founder benefits |
| $2,500 | Founding Power Forward | Name on the Founders Wall + Founder benefits |
| $5,000 | Founding Center | Name on the Founders Wall + Founder benefits |
| $10,000 | Founding Captain | Plaque on the Founders Wall + exclusive benefits |
| $25,000 | Founding All-Star | Plaque on the Founders Wall + exclusive benefits |
| $50,000 | Founding League MVP | Plaque on the Founders Wall + exclusive benefits |
| $100,000 | Founders League Champion | Retired jersey on the Founders Wall + legacy benefits |
| $250,000 | Founders March Madness | Retired jersey on the Founders Wall and in the Theater Rafters + legacy benefits |
| $500,000 | Founders Legacy Team | Retired jersey on the Founders Wall and in the Theater Rafters + legacy benefits |
| $1,000,000 | G.O.A.T. Founder | Retired jersey on the Founders Wall and in the Theater Rafters + GOAT legacy benefits |
But the gift size is not the central idea. Participation is. A former player can become a Founder. A coach can become a Founder. A family can honor someone who introduced them to the game. A business can support an institution that will serve communities throughout Illinois. A team, school, or organization can help preserve the tradition it helped create. The Founders Wall will tell that story collectively.
How to Give
- Online: Give at any level, or choose your own amount, on the Founders page.
- By check: Make it payable to The Basketball Museum of Illinois and mail it to 5499 W 65th St, Bedford Park, IL 60638.
- Leadership gifts of $10,000 or more: These are arranged personally so recognition, naming, and legacy benefits can be tailored to you, your family, or your organization. Contact Dr. Jason Ronai at jason.ronai@basketballmuseumofillinois.com.
A Legacy That Reaches Beyond Basketball
Preserving history is an important part of the Museum’s mission, but it is not the entire mission. The Basketball Museum of Illinois is also being built to educate, inspire, and serve. Planned initiatives include leadership programming, historical exhibits, educational experiences, coaching programs, community events, and opportunities for young people to learn through the game.
The past provides the stories. The goal is to use those stories to influence the future. A great museum does not simply tell visitors what happened. It helps them understand why it mattered.
Continuing a Dream
The idea of a permanent home for Illinois basketball history is not new. It was a dream of Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) founder Chuck Rolinski that the IBCA Hall of Fame would someday have a permanent home.
Rolinski spent decades helping build the IBCA, strengthening basketball throughout Illinois, recognizing the people who shaped the game, and preserving its traditions. He did not live to see the Museum being built in Bedford Park, but the dream survived him.
The Basketball Museum of Illinois carries that vision forward by creating a permanent home not only for the IBCA Hall of Fame but for the much larger story of basketball across the state. The Founders Campaign lets today’s generation finish what generations before them began.
What Does It Mean to Become a Founder?
It means your name will be permanently associated with the creation of the Basketball Museum of Illinois. It means helping preserve stories that might otherwise disappear. And it means building a place where:
- a grandparent can show a grandchild the team, the player, the coach, or the gym that shaped their love of the game and say, “I remember when…”
- a former player can find the coach who changed their life
- a student can discover that basketball history is also Illinois history
- a visitor can spot a school, hometown, name, photograph, or uniform and realize: We are part of this story too.
That may ultimately be the most important thing the Museum can accomplish.
There Will Only Be One Founding Class
Buildings can expand. Exhibits can change. New Hall of Fame classes will be inducted, new championships will be won, and new stories will be written. But the Basketball Museum of Illinois will only be founded once.
The Founding Class closes on May 15, 2027. The people who step forward in this moment will always be the ones who made it possible. Not simply a name on a wall. A place in the story.
Become Part of the Team That Built the Museum
Illinois has given basketball more than a century of unforgettable people, places, moments, and memories. Now there is an opportunity to give those stories a permanent home.
Individuals, families, businesses, and organizations can earn permanent Founders Wall recognition with cumulative contributions of $500 or more made before May 15, 2027, helping the Founders Campaign reach its $2.5 million goal to operationalize and sustain the Museum for generations to come.
Become a Founder. Help build a legacy. Help create a civic treasure for Illinois.
FAQ
What is the Basketball Museum of Illinois Founders Campaign?
It is a $2.5 million campaign to help operationalize and sustain the Basketball Museum of Illinois and create a lasting civic treasure for the state.
How do I become a Founder?
Individuals, families, businesses, and organizations that make cumulative gifts of $500 or more before May 15, 2027 are permanently recognized on the Founders Wall. The $500 level is the Founding Class, and higher levels carry additional titles and benefits.
How much does it cost to become a Founder?
Founder recognition begins with cumulative gifts of $500. Named levels continue at $1,000, $2,500, and $5,000, with leadership levels from $10,000 to $1 million.
What is the Founders Wall?
The Founders Wall permanently recognizes the individuals, families, businesses, and organizations that helped make the Basketball Museum of Illinois possible. Founding Class members appear on interactive digital displays, while leadership gifts are honored with plaques and retired jerseys.
What is the deadline to join the Founding Class?
Qualifying cumulative gifts must be made before May 15, 2027.
Who do I contact about gifts of $10,000 or more?
Leadership gifts are arranged personally. Contact Dr. Jason Ronai at jason.ronai@basketballmuseumofillinois.com.
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