NBA Hall of Fame member and former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley said it best.  “[Basketball] is the gift that never stops giving.  The game is full of great joy and a great memory.  It needs to be celebrated.”

As part of the campus-wide celebration, “The Naismith Rules of Basket Ball”, Bradley spoke at the November 29th Basketball and American Culture: A Special Symposium, presented by the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center.  Bradley, who was educated at Princeton, was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford, in addition to his storied basketball career which included a 1964 Olympic Gold Medal and two NBA championships with the New York Knicks, spoke about the values of the game of basketball and how it affected him personally.

The event featured additional speakers Dr. Dan Nathan, Dr. Reuben A. Buford May, and Professor Madeleine Blais, who each have an impressive background in sport history and have produced celebrated works in the field.

Notable attendees included Edith Royal, Jody Conradt, Suzanne Booth, Karen Aston, Ross Ohlendorf, and Mark Henry.

Naismith’s “Original Rules of Basket Ball” will be on display at the Blanton Museum of Art until January 13, 2013.

Click here to read more about the event

 

Senator Bradley and Terry Todd listen to Ross Ohlendorf	Senator Bradley with Suzanne Booth and Ross Ohlendorf	The Longhorn Network was on site for the event

 

Jody Conradt introduces Senator Bill Bradley	Senator Bill Bradley addresses the crowd	The Alumni Center Ballroom was full for the event

 

Mark Henry, Bill Bradley, and Jody Conradt	Terry Todd, Reuben May, Suzanne Booth, Bill Bradley, Madeleine Blais, Dan Nathan, Jan Todd, Jody Conradt	Bill Bradley with Karen Aston

 

Dr. Dan Nathan addresses the audience	Bill Bradley with Edith Royal	Dr. Reuben A. Buford May talks about his book

 

Professor Madeleine Blais	Dr. May answers an audience member’s question